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Ronald’s Mission 


By 

HENRIETTE EUGENIE DELAMARE 

II 

Author of ^^The Adventures of Four Young 
Americans f Nellie Relief ^^The Little 
Apostle on Crutches f etc^ 



PHILADELPHIA 

H. L. Kilner & Co. 

PUBLISHERS 




Copyright, 1913* by 
H. L. Kilner & Co. 





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< Vi) 4 



©C1.a:}5 0518 

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Contents 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. In the Dear Home . . . . S 

11 . A Happy Birthday . . . *17 

III. The Shadow of the Cross . . 30 

IV. New Surroundings .... 44 

V. Ronald's Mission Begins . . *57 

VI. Rosamund and the Red Prince . 74 

VII. The Fourth of July ... 92 

VIII. The Enclosed Meadow . . .122 

IX. A New Friend 139 

X. The Vase From the Imperial Palace 155 

XI. A Chance Acquaintance . . -171 

XII. In THE Dark Night . . . \ 183 

XIII. The Glass Bowl . . . .191 

XIV. Granted Prayers .... 203 





Ronald’s Mission 


I 

IN THE DEAR HOME 

‘‘ Well, sonny, and is your share of the dinner 
quite O. K. ? ” smilingly inquired a sweet-faced 
old woman as she peeped in through the half- 
opened door of a pretty though simply furnished 
room in a California bungalow. Her question 
seemed hardly necessar)^, for a most savory 
odor of cooking mingled with the perfume of 
flowers pervading the room, — a bright and airy 
one owing to its three large widely-opened win- 
dows, around which the roses hung in long trail- 
ing garlands of fragrant blossoms — while beyond 
the sunny garden one had a glorious view of 
the whole chain of blue and purple mountains. 

‘‘ Yes, Mrs. Woolston, it’s all ready,” an- 
swered a child’s voice as a bright, pretty little 
5 


6 


RONALD’S MISSION 


boy came out of the tiny kitchen, hardly bigger 
than a good sized cupboard. There was a 
look of expectant pleasure on the child’s flushed 
face and while answering his kind landlady, he 
hastened to lay the cloth with a swiftness and 
dexterity which showed it was a thing he was in 
the habit of doing. As finishing touches he put 
a large bowl of tastefully arranged roses on the 
center of the snowy white table-cloth, placing 
around it a small pitcher of rich cream, a plate 
containing two charlotte russes and two small 
dishes of fine ripe strawberries. 

When he had finished this part of his work he 
stepped back and eyed the effect of the room 
with evident satisfaction. A very pretty picture 
it all made, but the most attractive thing about 
it was the child himself. He was a fine, strik- 
ingly handsome boy of eight, unusually tall for 
his age, with magnificent dark eyes, dark wavy 
hair, brushed well back from his broad forehead, 
and a firm, serious look about his mouth and 
his whole face which showed that, although so 
young, he had already experienced some of the 
difficulties and responsibilities of life. 


IN THE DEAR HOME 


7 


** My, but isn’t your ma going to have a fine 
spread ? She ain’t had such a dinner in months, 
and she’ll be tickled to death to have such a 
fine surprise,” continued good Mrs. Woolston 
as she glanced approvingly at the table. “ Pity 
you didn’t keep it for to-morrow, though, for 
that’s your birthday, isn’t it, dearie? ” 

“ Oh, I couldn’t have done that ! ” exclaimed 
the boy. “ It would have seemed as if I was 
giving myself a treat, and I want it just for a 
lovely surprise for mother. I think she must 
have got tired of our usual dinners, for I can 
hardly get her to eat anything ; but she can’t 
help being tempted by it to-day, can she ? Oh, 
I do hope she will like it ! ” Then he added 
wistfully, the smile dying suddenly out of his 
face, You don’t think mother’s going to be 
real sick, do you, Mrs. Woolston ? ” 

“ Sick ! Bless your heart no, honey,” an- 
swered the good woman cheerfully. “ She’s 
just worked to death, that’s what she is, sitting 
mewed up in them close rooms all day. Now, 
if she could only do her work in this nice airy 
place she’d be lots better, but what she really 


8 


RONALD’S MISSION 


needs is a good restful holiday. I’ve told her 
so time and again. Rest and plenty of fresh 
air and sunshine ’ud do her heaps more good 
than all them doctors’ remedies ; that’s what I 
say.” 

“ Oh, dear ! How I wish I was old enough to 
earn enough to keep us both and let dear mother 
rest all she wants to,” cried Ronald. ” When 
I’m grown up she shan’t do anything to tire her 
or make her feel bad 1 ” 

“ Well, don’t fret, dearie ; you do a heap to 
help her as it is. I’m sure there’s not many a 
little boy what works as hard at school and yet 
manages to do the housework and cook and 
help wash as you do. And the years’ll slip by 
fast enough, don’t you fear. Besides, your 
mother told me only the other day that she 
meant to take a rest before long — but perhaps 
I’m telling tales out of school,” she added, “ so 
don’t let on you know anything. Ah 1 I see 
your mother down the street there, so I’ll just 
run and dish up your share of the chicken. It’s 
just fine.” — “ Sakes alive,” she added to herself 
as she hurried to her own well-appointed kitchen, 


IN THE DEAR HOME 


9 


‘‘ but the poor woman does look as if she needed 
something more than a good dinner and a rest 
to pull her together again ! The Lord grant 
that she maynT break down altogether, for it 
^ud just break that young un^s heart if he lost his 
mother. Anyhow, I hope she41 be able to do 
justice to this dinner, else the poor young- 
sterol be so disappointed after spending all his 
money on it, poor little chap ! 

Ronald ran out eagerly to meet his mother, 
radiant with pleasure as he thought of the treat 
he had in store for her. 

‘‘ Oh, mother, F ve got such a lovely surp 

he began but stopped abruptly and threw his 
arms about her as he exclaimed anxiously. 
What is the matter, dearest ? Are you sick ? 
Oh, mother, mother, what is it?’’ 

The poor mother tottered as if about to fall ; 
her sweet face was ashy white, her eyes red 
with long weeping, her lips trembled, and it 
was with the greatest trouble that she kept back 
her tears. She made a violent effort to control 
herself, however, as she sank on to a seat on 
the porch and clasped the child passionately to 


lO 


RONALD’S MISSION 


her heart, while she kissed and fondled him 
even more tenderly than usual. 

Don’t be anxious, darling,” she murmured 
with a poor attempt at a smile. “ I’m just over- 
tired and unnerved after this long hot day, and 
I expect I want my dinner badly, for I could 
hardly touch my lunch, though you’d prepared 
it so nicely for me. I’ll just sit here a minute 
and rest while you are dishing up and I’ll be all 
right when I’ve had something to eat, I ex- 
pect.” 

The child’s face brightened. How glad he 
felt that he had that lovely meal for her 1 It 
was just what she needed to set her right 
again, and he hastened to the kitchen and 
brought out some crisply fried potatoes and a 
dish of peas, which he set on the table beside 
the tempting half of a roasted chicken which 
Mrs. Woolston had just dished up. 

‘‘ Why, Ronald ! What’s all this? ” exclaimed 
his mother when she came in to dinner in an- 
swer to his cheery call. “ Roast chicken, and 
peas, and my favorite fried potatoes, and straw- 
berries and cream — and charlotte russe too ! 


IN THE DEAR HOME 


II 


Why, it's a perfect feast. Where and how did 
you get all this, you extravagant boy?" 

“Tve been doing a lot of little errands for 
Mr. Kendall lately, and this morning he gave 
me a whole dollar; and I remembered you'd 
been eating so little lately, dearest, so I thought 
I'd get you the most lovely, tempting little 
dinner. Mrs. Woolston helped me. Isn't it 
fine?" 

“ And you spent all your dollar to give me 
this pleasure ! O Ronald, you darling, you 
poor darling ! " exclaimed Mrs. Manningham 
throwing her arms round her boy's neck and 
bursting into tears in spite of herself. 

Oh, mother, don't ! Oh, please don't cry !" 
exclaimed Ronald brokenly. ‘‘ I thought you'd 
be so pleased." 

‘‘ And so she is, bless your heart, sonny," 
said Mrs. Woolston who had just come in. 
‘‘ That's just why she's taking on so. Didn't 
you ever hear of people crying with pleasure ? 
Let her have her cry out. It'll do her a world 
of good. After a tiring day in a stuffy room, 
yer nerves are all to pieces and nothing'll help 


12 


RONALD'S MISSION 


you as well as having a good howl. Fve done 
it myself many's the time, when I was a girl." 

Hurrying out, the good old soul returned 
with a bottle of home-made grape juice. 

“ There, that's my contribution to the feast," 
she said cheerily ; and now, my girl, you 
begin by drinking down a glass of this and it'll 
do you a heap of good, for it's sound and pure. 
I can vouch for that, for I made it my own self. 
That's just the thing to drive away the blues 
and give you an appetite." 

The tears and grape juice combined certainly 
seemed to have a good effect, for a short time 
later Ronald and his mother were chatting 
merrily as they partook of the repast which, in 
their eyes, was such a sumptuous one. 

‘‘ Look, mother, isn't the sunset glow beauti- 
ful on the mountains, and don't those roses 
seem to frame in the view prettily ? I do think 
we have the dearest little home, don't you ? " 

“Yes," she answered with rather a tremor in 
her voice, “we've always enjoyed our humble 
little home together, haven't we? Would you 
care to exchange it for a sumptuous one, like 


IN THE DEAR HOME I3 

those great mansions on Olive Grove, if you 
had the offer of it, Ronald ? ” 

“ Why, I don^t think so, unless you would like 
it better yourself, dearest. Then you wouldnT 
have to work and get tired, would you ? Td 
like to see you having fine auto drives and 
everything else you could wish. Perhaps when 
Pm big ril be able to give you all that.” 

“ Oh, I didnT mean that I should be in the 
great mansion. Suppose you had the chance 
of being there without me ? ” 

“ Without you, mother ! Oh, I couldnT bear 
to be anywhere without you, dearest. How 
could you think of such a thing ? Why, youTe 
just everything to me, mother. I wouldn't 
mind where I was, so long as I was with you. 
But there's no fear of any one wanting to have 
me in their big mansion, is there ? '' he added 
with a laugh. ‘‘ Those things only happen in 
story books. Won't you have some more 
chicken, dearest ? It's so good,” he added plead- 
ingly. 

“ Yes, it is delicious, but I have eaten a great 
deal for me, you know,” she added with a 


14 


RONALD’S MISSION 


smile, “ and I must keep a little hole for the 
strawberries and charlotte russe. Do you 
know, Ronald, I too have got a surprise for you 
this evening.” 

“ Oh, have you, mother ? ” exclaimed Ronald 
eagerly. 

“ Yes, as to-morrow is your birthday I’ve 
made arrangements to take a whole day’s holi- 
day and we’ll take the car and go and spend 
the day in the canyon. Won’t that be lovely? ” 

“ Fine, mother ! ” exclaimed Ronald clapping 
his hands with joy. “ When shall we start ? ” 

“ Well, I thought we’d go to the half-past six 
o’clock Mass first. I want to go to Holy Com- 
munion for my dear boy,” she added with a 
smile. 

“ Next year we’ll go together, won’t we, dear- 
est?” 

Again there was a tremor in the mother’s 
voice as she answered softly, “ If God grants it, 
yes, dear.” 

“ Don’t you think you’d like a little walk in 
the fresh air ? ” asked Ronald as they got up 
from the table. ” I’m sure it w'ould do you 


IN THE DEAR HOME 15 

good, mother, and we can talk over our plans 
for to-morrow as we walk along.” 

I don’t think I can go very far. You see 
Tve eaten so much,” she added with a laugh. 

But we might saunter down to the church and 
make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament before 
they close up. Then when we come home we 
can begin to prepare the luncheon basket for 
to-morrow. What’s left of the chicken will 
come in splendidly and then we can have jam 
sandwiches, and cheese sandwiches, and take a 
few oranges and apples. Don’t you think it 
would be nice to invite Mrs. Woolston to come 
with us ? She’s always so kind and she doesn’t 
often have a change.” 

“Yes, I’d love to have her come, mother. 
May I run and ask her or will you ? ” 

“No, as it’s your birthday treat, you can ask 
her yourself; it will please the dear old soul. 
I’ll be getting my hat on while you go,” added 
Mrs. Manningham. 

And as she knelt in the dark church beside 
the child she loved so passionately the scalding 
tears ran through her fingers as she prayed. 


i6 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ Oh, sweetest Jesus, Thy dear will be done, 
not mine, but give me courage and strength. 
Help me to hide it all from my boy for a day 
or two longer, that he may have a few more 
happy times with his mother. Sweet Mother 
Mary, by the love thou didst have for thy Jesus, 
help and pity me and my poor child.” 


II 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

Good Mrs. Woolston had not only accepted 
Ronald’s invitation with very genuine pleasure 
but had insisted on preparing the picnic lunch- 
eon while the others went to Mass, so that they 
might be able to start by the 8 : 30 car without 
being all tired out with hurrying. When they 
got home from church they also found a most 
appetizing breakfast awaiting them and Ronald 
was wild with joy on finding three neatly done up 
parcels on his plate. One contained a beautiful 
new prayer-book and two pretty neckties from 
his mother, the second a fine two bladed pocket 
knife from Mrs. Woolston and the third packet, 
a rather voluminous one, was from Mr. Wool- 
ston. It was done up in so many papers, with 
so many strings and so many knots to them, 
that it seemed as if the child would never get it 
open, and they all laughed not a little over his 
17 


I8 RONALD’S MISSION 

astonishment as one wrapping after another 
came to view. 

“ What can it be ? ” exclaimed Ronald fever- 
ishly. 

“ Perhaps there’s nothing in it after all,” said 
Mrs. Woolston laughing. 

“Oh, yes! I’m sure I feel something hard. 
Yes 1 I’m coming to it at last. Oh, aren’t they 
just splendid?” exclaimed Ronald enthusias- 
tically as he displayed a beautiful pair of roller 
skates. 

“ My old man said as yer old ones were no 
longer any good and he was sure you’d enjoy 
these,” said Mrs. Woolston beaming with pleas- 
ure at the sight of the child’s delight. 

“ Oh, you’re all too kind ! I’m too happy,” 
cried Ronald fairly dancing with delight, then 
after tenderly kissing and thanking his mother 
he gave Mrs. Woolston a good hug, exclaiming, 
“ Oh, thank you ever so much I I’m ever so 
grateful to you for everything. You’re just too 
good to me, that’s what you are, and I love 
you.” 

“ Bless your heart, sonny, I’m glad enough 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 


19 


to give you a little pleasure and so is Mr. Wool- 
ston, for you’re such an obliging, helpful little 
chap. Now hurry up and eat these flapjacks 
while they’re hot. You see I did not forget 
how fond you are of them.” 

“ Hot cakes, and eggs and bacon, and fruit 
and coffee I ” exclaimed Mrs. Manningham. 

Really, you are spoiling us, Mrs. Woolston, 
and I feel ashamed to give you so much 
trouble.” 

“ Trouble ! Bless your heart, honey, it’s no 
trouble. Didn’t I have to get the same for Mr. 
Woolston before he went to work? If you 
wants to keep a man good tempered always 
feed him well and make his home cheery and 
comfortable ; that’s what I says and acts upon, 
and there’s never been a cross word between us 
since we got married, close upon forty years 
ago. That’s a pretty good record, ain’t it? 
Land’s sakes, girlie, but you don’t eat enough 
to keep a sparrow alive. Well, if you’re really 
done we’ll get ready and walk down to the car. 
You’ll carry one of these baskets, sonny, and 
I’ll take the other and this parcel besides. Oh, 


20 


RONALD’S MISSION 


never mind what that is ; it’s a secret for the 
present. No, you shan’t take anything, Mrs. 
Manningham, dear ; you have plenty to do to 
drag along your own self, seems to me. Never 
mind, though, this day in the canyon is bound 
to bring some roses to your cheeks and some 
strength to your limbs.” 

“ But how is it there are two baskets ? ” ex- 
postulated Mrs. Manningham. “ Surely the lit- 
tle provisions we gave you couldn’t have filled 
them.” 

“ Never you mind, my girl ; you just leave 
things to me. We ain’t got far to carry the 
things, for the car goes right up to the entrance 
of the canyon, and after we’ve disposed of the 
contents of them baskets we can hide them be- 
hind some bushes and find them on our way 
back. Sakes alive 1 If I wasn’t going to for- 
get to put the bottle out for the milkman. Well, 
everything’s O. K. now, so let’s be off.” 

The ride through the city outskirts, along the 
foot-hills and up the side of the mountain was 
a most glorious one and seemed to put new life 
and joy even into the poor, frail little mother. 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 


21 


She was determined to make this day a per- 
fectly happy one for her boy, one that he should 
always look back to with pleasure ; and at Mass 
that morning she had prayed that she might 
forget all sorrows and anxieties for the time. 
Her prayer had been answered, for as she gazed 
at the wealth of wild flowers, the sparkling 
streams and grand mountain scenery her heart 
was filled with renewed hope and she laughed 
and chatted as merrily as Ronald himself. 
They had been almost sorry when they came 
to the end of their ride, but the canyon was so 
beautiful and the air so balmy that they found 
it even more enjoyable than the car as they be- 
gan to roam about under the shady trees, pick- 
ing great bunches of brilliantly colored wild 
flowers, digging up ferns for Mrs. Woolston^s 
garden and listening with delight to the singing 
of the birds and the cool splashing of the water- 
falls. It was fun, too, to watch the squirrels 
and chipmunks dart here and there among the 
rocks and sage brush, suddenly sit bolt upright 
to stare at them impudently for a minute, then 
beat a hasty retreat. 


22 


RONALD'S MISSION 


After a time our friends sat down by a bab- 
bling brook and Mrs. Woolston related many 
amusing stories of her childhood in the South 
and many quaint folk tales about Brer Rabbit 
and the other animals which she had learned from 
the old darkies on the plantations. Many of 
these stories she had often told before, for Ron- 
ald was never tired of hearing them, and to his 
great delight the sight of all the wild creatures 
around brought back to her mind many that 
she had hitherto forgotten and that were there- 
fore delightfully new to him. 

So the morning passed swiftly by and towards 
noon Mrs. Woolston proposed they should open 
the luncheon baskets and Ronald agreed with 
enthusiasm, for the keen mountain air had made 
him very hungry. And what a feast they had I 
For there was not only the cold chicken but 
dainty sandwiches of many kinds, doughnuts, 
slices of cake, raisins, nuts, a variety of fruit, 
and last but not least a large bottle of sweetened 
lemon juice which, added to the cold sparkling 
water from the stream, made a most delicious 
and refreshing drink. 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 


23 


“ Isn^t everything lovely here and haven^t we 
a perfectly splendid luncheon ? ” exclaimed Ron- 
ald joyfully. “ I don^t think I ever had such a 
fine birthday as this one ! ” 

Mrs. Manningham smiled happily over the 
little boy^s enthusiasm and they all had much 
fun over their meal, for the squirrels and chip- 
munks ran up quite fearlessly for their share of 
it and less welcome visitors in the shape of ants 
and spiders came scurrying over their table- 
cloth, while a great fat caterpillar fell plump into 
Ronaldos glass just as he was raising it to his 
lips and sent the lemonade splashing right into 
his face and eyes. But all this only added to 
the novelty and merriment of the repast. 

After lunch had been disposed of and cleared 
away Mrs. Woolston unpacked her mysterious 
looking parcel and displayed two fine jointed 
fishing-rods. These were soon put together 
and they started fishing in the brook with so 
much success that in little more than an hour 
they had succeeded in catching quite a nice 
dish of trout which was packed in large fresh 
leaves and put into one of the empty baskets. 


24 


RONALD’S MISSION 


Just as they were about to stop operations 
Ronald, who had taken off his shoes and stock- 
ings, leaped on to a large moss-covered stone in 
the middle of the brook in the hope of catching 
with his hands a particularly large fish which 
was hurrying away. The stone was very slip- 
pery and Ronald fell with a great flop into the 
stream splashing the water all over Mrs. Wool- 
ston who was standing close by him. 

“ Sakes alive ! ” she cried with a hearty laugh 
as she mopped the streaming water from her 
face, “ if you ain’t worse than that old cater- 
pillar ! You must have thought I was too hot 
and needed one of them there shower baths I 
Well, if you ain’t a fine sight now ! ” she added 
with another burst of laughter as Ronald, who 
had quickly scrambled out, stood with the water 
streaming from him. “ Never mind, honey,” 
she added, seeing Mrs. Manningham’s look of 
consternation, “ the boy ain’t hurt — are you, 
dear ? — and we’ll soon dry if we walk about in 
the sun a little. Take off your vest and hang it 
up on that tree to dry, sonny ; then you and I 
will go for a little walk and bake ourselves dry 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 


25 


while your mother takes a rest in the shade. 
You won't mind being alone for a little bit, will 
you, girlie ? We won't go out of hearing." 

“ If you don't mind I would prefer coming 
with you a little way. I have been sitting so 
long that I'm quite rested and besides I'm rather 
nervous of rattlesnakes." 

“ Bless your heart, honey 1 I ain't seen one 
since I've been in California come sixteen years 
now, but we'll be glad enough to have you along 
with us." 

The fishing-rods and baskets were soon hid- 
den behind some dense bushes, then the three 
friends began going up the canyon, Mrs. Man- 
ningham sauntering quietly along in the shadiest 
parts while the others “ played dog," as Ronald 
expressed it, by walking briskly on in the sun, 
then coming back towards her. 

They were soon comparatively dry and after 
a time they discovered the afternoon was slip- 
ping by and regretfully turned back on their 
way to the car. Mrs. Manningham was evi- 
dently getting very tired and so consented to 
take a short cut down the canyon while the 


26 


RONALD'S MISSION 


Others returned by the stream in order to get 
their parcels and Ronald's vest which was still 
hanging to the tree. It was now perfectly dry, 
though very soiled and stained by its contact 
with the green moss on the rocks. 

“ I'm so sorry I messed my clean suit ! It 
will give mother so much trouble to get it up," 
said Ronald despondently after he had got it on 
again. 

‘‘ Don't you fret, honey," said the good land- 
lady. To-morrow's my washing day and I'll 
see to your suit all right. No thanks, sonny ; 
it's only fair, for ain't I the one that tempted 
you to go out fishing? Now let's get them 
baskets." 

She stooped and was just stretching out her 
hand to take one of them when Ronald sprang 
forward, caught hold of her arm and threw her 
from him with such violence that she went stag- 
gering backwards and would have fallen had 
she not clutched at the slender stem of a young 
oak tree. 

“ Ronald, what do you mean ? " she cried in- 
dignantly, then gave a cry of terror and stood 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 


27 


white and trembling as she heard a sinister rat- 
tling and saw a great snake coiled just ready to 
strike. The child had sprung back a few steps 
and seizing a large stone now flung it so dex- 
terously at the reptile that it fell back in the 
bushes writhing in its death struggle. 

“DonT go near it, sonny! You’ll get 
bitten,” shrieked Mrs. Woolston in an agony 
of fright, but with set lips and blanched face 
the child seized one of the fishing-rods and 
with the heavy end of it dealt the snake 
blow after blow until all noise and movement 
ceased. 

“ Oh, thank God I saw it in time I ” cried the 
boy, affectionately throwing his arms around 
the old lady’s neck. “ It was just going to 
strike your hand.” 

“ And you risked your life to save me, you 
dear, brave little lad,” murmured Mrs. Wool- 
ston as she pressed him to her heart. “ Oh, 
Ronald, child, I shall never forget it.” 

“We’d better go away quick, hadn’t we ? ” 
said Ronald. “ I’ve heard that wherever there’s 
one rattler there are two.” 


28 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ That’s true, but it seems a shame to leave 
our baskets and fish and everything and yet — 
now — I’m afraid.” 

“ Oh, I’ll beat the bushes and we’ll soon see 
if there’s anything more there,” answered the 
boy, and a few minutes later they had secured 
their baskets, packed up the fishing lines and 
started on their way back to the car. 

“ I think we’d better not say a word about 
this to your ma till we get home,” said Mrs. 
Woolston. “ She was so nervous already that 
this would pretty nearly scare her to death.” 

“ All right,” said Ronald. “ I won’t mention 
it. Good thing she went the other way, isn’t 
it?” 

“ Oh, Mrs. Woolston, dear ! How tired you 
look,” exclaimed Mrs. Manningham when they 
joined her. “You are as white as a ghost. 
Do you feel faint ? ” 

“ Bless your heart, no, honey ; it ain’t nothing 

only ” Just then a scrambling noise was 

heard in the covered basket Mrs. Woolston 
was carrying and she dropped it as if it had 
been a red hot coal. Seizing a stick Ronald 


A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 


29 


half opened the lid with it and they anxiously 
peered in. 

Oh, I see a long thing wriggling — it must 
be a snake, screamed Mrs. Manningham in 
terror and they all gave a perfect yell of fright 
when out sprang something which proved to be 
a pretty little chipmunk which had been quietly 
feasting on the remains of their provisions and 
whose long tail they had taken for a snake. 

They all had a hearty laugh over this false 
alarm and it helped the old lady and Ronald to 
regain their composure. 


Ill 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 

“ Now then,” said Mrs. Woolston briskly as 
soon as they got home, “ I want you to go and 
rest, girlie, while Ronald and I get our dinners 
ready.” 

“ We’ll have plenty with what’s left of the 
sandwiches, if the chipmunk didn’t eat them,” 
said Mrs. Manningham, “and you can warm 
up the potatoes and peas from yesterday, 
Ronald.” 

“Yes, that’ll take you no time, sonny,” said 
Mrs. Woolston ; “ so, if you’re not too tired, I 
wish you’d go down to that there good dairy 
on Lemon Street and get me ten cents’ worth 
of cream. You needn’t hurry, for there’s plenty 
of time afore dinner, laddie.” 

Ronald was only too glad to oblige good 
Mrs. Woolston so he ran down to the dairy, 
but found it already closed so had to go on to 
3 ® 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 3 1 

a much further one and it was late by the time 
he got home. 

“ That’s right, sonny ; dinner’s all ready and 
Mr. Woolston and your ma are a-sitting wait- 
ing for us, for you’re to be my guests to-night,” 
said the old lady brightly, and instead of the 
stale sandwiches and warmed up vegetables 
they had a delicious dinner to which all did full 
justice, for the keen mountain air had given 
them a hearty appetite. But what delighted 
and touched Ronald and his mother more than 
anything else was a splendid birthday cake 
standing in the middle of the table with eight 
bright colored candles burning around it and 
“ Best wishes to our dear Ronald ” in pink 
letters on the white icing. 

Towards the end of dinner Mr. Woolston got 
up to propose Ronald’s health in his genial 
hearty fashion and then, before the child or his 
mother had had time to respond, the old lady 
told them of the little lad’s bravery and of her 
own wonderful escape, and it was with tears in 
his eyes that her husband grasped the boy’s 
hand exclaiming : 


32 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ I shall be your debtor all my life, Ronald 
my boy, and if ever I can do anything for you, 
remember I’ll be proud and happy to do it. 
Mine’s a humble little home, but such as it is, 
it’ll always be a home for you, laddie, and one 
where you’ll be welcomed as a son.” 

Mrs. Manningham’s eyes were swimming 
with tears as she thanked the old man, then 
clasping her boy to her breast murmured : “ Oh, 
how good God has been to us ! How happy I 
am to feel that He will always watch as lovingly 
over my child 1 ” 

During the four days which followed Mrs. 
Manningham stayed home from work and did 
her utmost to give her boy little pleasures and 
make him enjoy more than ever her loving com- 
panionship. In spite of the rest she was tak- 
ing, however, she looked paler and thinner 
every day and whenever off her guard there 
was a look of harassing anxiety on her sweet 
face. On the morning of the fifth day she re- 
ceived a letter from the Eiast and shut herself up 
in her room to read it. When she came out she 
spoke in her usual cheerful way, but Ronald 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 33 

noticed with alarm that her eyes were red from 
much weeping and that her hands trembled. 

Before the boy left for the Convent school, 
she proposed they should take the car as soon 
as his study hours were over and go to spend 
the rest of the day in a quiet little valley near by, 
of which they were both very fond. 

‘‘ ril .bring a cold dinner with me and meet 
you as you come out from school,’^ she said 
brightly, ‘‘ and that will save time.” 

Ronald was delighted at the idea and by four 
o’clock they reached the little canyon. It was 
a charmingly pretty spot and so secluded that 
one could never have believed it to be within 
short distance of a busy city. 

They sat down in the cool shade of some great 
walnut trees and after a short time Mrs. Man- 
ningham put out her hand and drawing the child 
towards her looked lovingly and earnestly into 
his face as she said with a tremor in her voice : 

“ You are growing a big boy now, my Ronald, 
and it is time you should know of many things, 
dear. My aim until now has been to shield you 
from all this knowledge, make your childhood 


34 


RONALD’S MISSION 


a happy one and train you to be so true and 
fervent a little Catholic that you would be able 
to bear the sorrows and difficulties that lie be- 
fore you in life, my poor boy.” 

” Sorrows, mother ? Oil, you are not going 
to send me away from you, dearest ? ” cried 
Ronald, across whose mind flashed her ques- 
tion as to his wishing to live in a mansion 
without her. 

“ No, darling. So long as I can keep you 
with me we shall never be parted,” said his 
mother, taking him in her arms and kissing him 
passionately. “ I have always refused to give 

you up, Ronald, but now Oh, my child, 

be brave ! Remember God will always protect 
you and that you will always have His love to 
lean upon.” 

“ Oh, dearest, dearest, what is it ? ” cried 
Ronald, the tears springing to his eyes. “ You 
are not going to be very ill ? You are not 

going — going ” he stopped with a broken 

sob and looked up into his mother’s face in an 
agony of grief. For a moment they wept in 
each other’s arms, too moved to speak. At 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 35 

last Mrs. Manningham looked up and said 
gently : 

‘‘Yes, Ronald, poor child, Fm afraid God is 
going to take me away from you,” and as the 
boy flung himself down in a paroxysm of grief 
she drew him to her breast again, saying : 

“ Don^t grieve so, my Ronald — it is not sure. 
There is a little hope still, just a little hope. 
Now sit up here by me and put your head on 
mothers shoulder — so, sOy dearest,” she added, 
putting her loving arms around him as if to 
shield him from the sorrows she knew would be 
his before long. “ There are many more things 
you must know, my darling, some very pain- 
ful ones, some happy ones,” she added with a 
brave smile, “ for you know that God always 
gives us some happiness to enable us to bear 
our crosses. Now listen to me quietly, dear. 
You remember your dear father?” 

“ Just a little, mother.” 

“Yes, I want you always to remember him 
and to learn to be worthy of being his son ; 
learn to be good and true and brave, and loyal 
to your faith as he was. Do you remember how 


36 


RONALD’S MISSION 


passionately fond of music he was, too, and how 
beautifully he sang ? ” 

“Yes, I remember that, mother.” 

“ Well, your father was the second son of a 
very wealthy, proud man, a man who was the 
soul of honor but who considered wealth and 
position in life to be everything. He had al- 
ways been very successful not only as a banker 
and financier but as a political man, and he was 
stern and almost tyrannical with every one ex- 
cept his sweet wife. She was a beautiful Italian 
lady of high lineage, very accomplished and a 
devout Catholic. Your grandfather loved her 
so passionately that, so long as she lived, he 
not only allowed her to practice her religion but 
consented to her bringing up her two boys in 
the true faith, and she endeavored with all 
her heart and soul to make good Catholics and 
noble hearted men of them. 

“To the intense grief of the whole family she 
died when your father was about sixteen and a 
few years later your grandfather began to ad- 
vise his sons to give up what he called ‘ super- 
stitious errors, only fit for women and children ’ 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 37 

and accompany him to the Lutheran services. 
Their Catholic religion he said would stand in 
the way of their making good marriages and 
succeeding in life and, as time went on, he be- 
came more and more vehement on the subject. 
At first both brothers resisted him firmly though 
respectfully ; but after a time his eldest son, 
who was very desirous to marry a certain 
wealthy Lutheran heiress, consented to give up 
his faith and to promise that his children, if he 
had any, should be brought up as Protestants. 

‘‘ Your father was terribly distressed about 
this, and used all his influence with his brother to 
dissuade him from committing such a fearful sin 
and breaking all the promises he had made to 
his mother. His efforts were useless and your 
grandfather was so angry with him for having 
worked against him in this affair that he told 
him he might go out penniless into the world 
and shift for himself if he would not give up his 
' popish ’ practices. 

“Your father took him at his word and left 
his home that very day. He had a singularly 
beautiful voice and had inherited from his 


38 


RONALD’S MISSION 


mother a passionate love of music and it was 
but a very short time before he had made a 
name and position for himself as a singer. 
Your grandfather with his puritan notions 
thought it a disgrace that a son of his should 
be an opera singer and his anger and mortifica- 
tion knew no bounds when he heard that he 
had actually married what he called an actress 
and a pauper. I never was an actress, dearest, 
and my family, the D’Arbaumonts of Canada, 
are even more high born than the Manning- 
hams. My father had been very unfortunate, 
however, and when I found myself an orphan 
and penniless I was glad enough to earn my 
living by singing at concerts and giving vocal 
lessons in New York. It was there that your 
dear father met me and fell in love with me and 
we were most happy in our wedded life and quite 
prosperous until one fatal day, when my dear 
husband caught a violent chill on coming out 
of a hot concert room and in a little more than 
a week died of pneumonia. Oh, dearest, he 
died such a holy death ! So full of loving res- 
ignation to God’s will, and he offered up the sac- 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 39 

rifice of his life for you, dear, that you might be 
a true and faithful Catholic all your life and also 
for his brother's return to the faith ; and his 
great wish was that later in life you, my Ronald, 
might in some way bring about your uncle^s 
conversion. It was his fixed idea specially 
towards the last. As he lay dying he made me 
promise to tell you all this as soon as you were 
old enough to understand it, and to impress 
upon you that he left you this great work to do 
as his legacy and wished you to consider it your 
mission in life, a great and holy mission.’’ 

Ronald looked anxious. ‘‘ Perhaps,” he said 
slowly, “ when I grow up I may become a priest 
and then I may be able to convert people, but 
I couldn’t do anything of that kind now — how 
could I ? — when I’m only just an ignorant boy ! 
I shouldn’t know how to begin and I couldn’t 
discuss such things with a great, clever man as 
my uncle must be, for he’s a judge, isn’t he ?” 

“ Of course you could not accomplish such a 
great work all by yourself, dearie, but with 
God’s help there is no knowing what you could 
do. Remember, when He wanted to convert 


40 


RONALD’S MISSION 


the whole world He did not choose wise, learned 
men to do this work, but poor ignorant fisher- 
men. Besides it is not by discussing with peo- 
ple that one generally obtains conversions, but 
by praying for them, offering sacrifices for 
them, winning their love and giving them good 
example. But to continue my story. My 
health had been much shaken by this terrible 
sorrow and but a few weeks later there was an 
epidemic of scarlet fever in the city and I caught 
it. I was terribly ill and when I partly recov- 
ered, I found that my voice was hopelessly des- 
troyed and that the expenses of these two ill- 
nesses had swallowed up nearly all our little 
savings. I brought you out here, where the 
doctor thought I might regain health and 
strength, and then I had to take to sewing in 
order to keep myself and my darling little boy 
from starvation.” 

“ Poor, dear little mother ! ” murmured Ron- 
ald, kissing her passionately. 

“ Yes, it has often been a very hard struggle, 
dear, but God’s help never failed me and the 
loving companionship of my boy helped me 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 4I 

wonderfully and made life very sweet to me. 
Remember that, dearest, when I am gone ; re- 
member that you have already been a comfort 
and help and happiness to me all your life, a 
blessing for which I can never thank God 
enough/^ 

‘‘ Did grandfather know we were so poor, 
mother ?” 

“Yes, when he heard of your father’s death 
and of my poverty and ill health, he proposed 
to take you entirely from me and bring you up 
in a manner befitting your family, so that his 
honorable name might not, as he kindly put it, 
be dragged deeper and deeper in the mire. I 
was to sign a paper giving up all my rights to 
you and promising never to attempt to see you, 
and in return for this he was to allow me a 
small pension for the rest of my life.” 

“ Oh, mother, how dare he offer you such a 
thing ! Why, it would have been like selling 
me, wouldn’t it ? But you refused.” 

“ Most absolutely, specially as he would not 
promise to have you brought up a Catholic. I 
felt, therefore, that I was not only justified in 


42 


RONALD’S MISSION 


keeping my dear child, but that it was my duty 
to do so in order to train him in the love of God 
and of our holy faith. And in spite of my ever 
failing health and of our poverty we’ve been 
very happy together, haven’t we, my Ron- 
ald?” 

“ Oh, yes I So, so happy, mother dearest,” 
answered Ronald with tears in his brown eyes. 

“ Thank God for that ! Thank God too that 
He allowed me to live long enough to ground 
you so thoroughly in your faith that I feel you 
are now old enough and earnest enough to be 
true to that dear faith whatever happens. My 
health has been failing more and more, and the 
other day, dearest, — that day that you had pre- 
pared the lovely dinner for me — I had just 
learned that I could live but a few months 
longer unless I consented to undergo a very 
serious operation in about five weeks from 
now.” 

“ Oh ! won’t you try it, dearest ? ” 

“ For your sake, my Ronald, yes, I will. 
But the doctors say there is but a very poor 
chance of success, one chance in a hundred. 


THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS 43 

Still we41 try it and God may grant me a 
cure.” 

“ Oh, yes, dear ! We will pray so hard. We 
will make Novenas and ask Father Dalton to 
say a Mass for that intention, and oh. Til say 
just heaps and heaps of Rosaries and Ways of 
the Cross. Surely our Lord will grant our 
prayers, won^t He? He said : ‘Ask and you 
shall receive.^ ” 

“Yes, dearest. He always grants our prayers 
when they are for our real good ; but He may 
know it to be for the best that we should be 
parted. Your grandfather is dead, and as soon 
as I knew all this I wrote to your uncle, for 
your father had made me promise that if I were 
to die while you were yet tqo young to shift for 
yourself I should give his brother an opportu- 
nity of taking care of you. He had always 
the fixed idea that in that way you would be 
enabled to bring him back to the faith.” 


IV 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 

“ Did uncle answer ? ” asked Ronald anx- 
iously. 

“ Yes ; I had the letter this morning. He 
promises to adopt you and bring you up with 
his own son, and he consents to your going to 
the Catholic Church once a week but no more 
until you are fifteen, when you will be of age to 
choose your own religion, he says. This letter 
is not unkind as far as you are concerned, but 
he says his wife makes it a condition that you 
will never mention your rmfortunate past or 
your mother, as she is much ashamed of the 
connection with an actress,” added Mrs. Man- 
ningham, flushing painfully. 

“ Oh, mother, mother ! I can’t bear it 1 I 
don’t want to go to people who are ashamed of 
you, the dearest, sweetest mother in the world ! 
Couldn’t I stay with Mrs. Woolston ? ” 

” Yes ; I know they would gladly adopt you 
44 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 


45 


and so far as your present happiness goes, I feel 
sure it would be a much easier life for you, my 
darling boy. But remember it was your dear 
father^ s special wish that at my death you should 
go to your uncle’s. Remember the great work 
he left you as a legacy. I have written this 
morning to answer Mr. Manningham, and have 
promised that he shall be informed at once if — 
if God calls me home to Him, dearest.” 

“ Oh, mother ! ” cried Ronald in a paroxysm 
of grief as he clung sobbing to his mother’s 
neck, “ I cannot bear it ! God could not be so 
cruel as to part us. We will pray so hard and 
Father Dalton, too ; surely God will have pity 
on us.” 

“ I am sure He will have pity on us in any 
case, darling, and whatever His dear will may 
be, we must accept it with loving resignation, 
knowing that what He sends us is for our good. 
But I have kept my joyful news for the last, 
Ronald. I have been talking over all this with 
Father Dalton and he has agreed to allow you 
to make your First Communion in a month 
from to-day, so that we may have the oppor- 


46 


RONALD’S MISSION 


tunity of going to Communion together several 
times before I go to the hospital. Isn’t that a 
lovely consolation our dear Lord is going to 
give jmu in your troubles, my darling ? He is 
coming into your heart His very own self in 
order to be your strength and your loving com- 
forter, dearest.” 

Poor Ronald ! All the careless happiness of 
his childhood had vanished forever, and during 
the next few weeks he was torn betwixt hope 
and fear, clinging to his mother with more 
passionate love than ever, grudging every 
hour and minute he had to spend away from 
her and only upheld and comforted by his fer- 
vent preparation for a worthy reception of his 
dear Lord. 

It came at last, that day that he had longed 
for so many years, and mother and son knelt 
together at the altar rails with hearts burning 
with love, though wrung with anxiety and sor- 
row. Never in his life did Ronald forget the 
mingled joy and pain of that First Communion 
day, never did he pray with more passionate 
entreaty, more confidence and love. Several 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 


47 


times during the following week did Father 
Dalton allow him to go to Communion with his 
mother and both felt wonderfully comforted and 
strengthened by the loving visits of their dear 
Lord. 

One day that they had thus knelt side by side 
at the Holy Table, Ronald had afterwards gone 
to school as usual and his mother had told him 
to take his luncheon there, as she would have 
business in town that morning. Towards the 
middle of the afternoon the kind Sister Superior 
called him out of the class-room and as soon as 
he saw the look of grief and pity on her face 
the poor child knew the message she had to tell. 

My mother I ” he gasped. “ She is worse ! 

‘‘ Yes, my poor Ronald,^’ said the Sister, tak- 
ing the child^s trembling hands in hers. “ Your 
mother underwent the operation a few hours 
ago. She did not wish you to have the anxiety 
of knowing what she was going through until it 

was all over and now Oh ! my poor child, 

you must be brave and remember that however 
heavy is the Cross that Gods sends you, it is 
sent out of love, and that He Himself will help 


48 


RONALD’S MISSION 


you to bear it, if you just throw yourself into 
His loving arms.” 

“ She — she is not dead ? ” cried the child 
brokenly. 

“ No, but she is sinking fast and wishes to 
see you. Be brave, Ronald, and do not make it 
harder for her to leave you. Father Brown is 
waiting down-stairs to take you to the hospital 
and you will find Father Dalton with your 
mother. God bless and help you, dear.” 

When after what seemed to him hours of 
agonized suspense Ronald found himself by his 
mother’s bedside, he fell on his knees beside her 
with a heart-broken cry of, “ Mother ! Mother ! 
don’t leave me ! ” 

“ Dearest,” she murmured faintly as she 
gazed lovingly into his face, “ I had hoped to 
be able to live for you — to shield and help you 
— but God knows best and He will watch over 
you. Promise — that you will be faithful — to 
your faith — that you will try — to be worthy of 
your father — remember his wish — his legacy to 
you. I will pray for it and offer up — my life for 
it and for you.” 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 


49 


“Oh, mother! I promise, dearest. I will 
be faithful ; I will try to be good and to do all 
you and father would have wished.^’ 

“ I knew — you would — and now,” she added 
as she kissed him tenderly, “ say with mother — 
dear — ‘ Thy will be done.’ ” 

Poor Ronald 1 It was a terrible effort, but at 
last, through his tears, he brokenly sobbed the 
words out. 

“Now I can — die happy,” said his mother 
with a faint smile. “ Dear Mother of God — I 
trust — my boy — to you ! — Yes — my Jesus, my 
Love — I come — to Thee 1 ” 

For the next two days Ronald was sur- 
rounded by kind friends who did all in their 
power to comfort the poor, broken-hearted little 
fellow whose grief was really pitiful. The 
Woolstons had wished to take him home with 
them, but Father Dalton rightly thought that it 
would be too painful for the child to go back 
alone to the loved home, cheered by his mother’s 
presence only a few hours before, so he kept 
him at the rectory until the quiet funeral was 
over and the Sisters and Mrs. Woolston had 


50 


RONALD’S MISSION 


packed his very humble outfit and prepared 
everything for his journey East. They would 
have liked to have kept him near them a little 
longer, but his uncle telegraphed he should be 
sent at once and they hoped the journey and 
the total change of surroundings and habits 
might help him to shake off his grief to a cer- 
tain extent. On the other hand, they hated to 
let him go, knowing that he would meet with 
but scant sympathy from his wealthy relatives. 
Both Father Dalton and the Woolstons told 
him again and again that if he was unhappy in 
his new home or if his faith was interfered with 
he was to come back to them. 

“You’ll always find a home and a loving 
welcome here, sonny,” cried Mrs. Woolston 
through her tears, “and it’s only too sorry I 
am that we are not allowed to adopt you as our 
son. Ours isn’t a very grand place but re- 
member, dear, it’ll always be home for you.” 

Ronald too wished heartily that he might 
have been allowed to stay with his humble 
friends and it was a fresh grief for him to have 
to part from them and from the good Sisters. 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 


51 


They all came to see him off at the station and 
it was with heavy hearts and earnest prayers 
that they turned home again when the train 
was out of sight. 

The journey was an uneventful one, and the 
child’s fellow-passengers were very kind to him, 
having learned something of his sad history from 
the porter to whom Father Dalton had confided 
him. Ronald was therefore truly sorry when 
they arrived at their destination, for he dreaded, 
not a little, his arrival among his Protestant 
relatives, those people who scorned his dear 
mother and despised his holy faith. He had 
been told that he would be met at the station 
and his heart beat wildly as he stood in the 
great depot, dazed by the noise, the surging 
crowd, and his feeling of despairing loneliness. 
After a few minutes a chauffeur came up to him 
and said rather gruffly : 

“ Are you the boy that’s expected by Judge 
Manningham ? Yes? All right then, give me 
your baggage checks ; this transfer man will 
see to your trunks. You can take your grip in 
the auto. Just follow me.” 


52 


RONALD’S MISSION 


The man’s manner was so scornful that 
Ronald’s heart sank within him and he had not 
the courage to say a word during the long 
drive to the beautiful mansion on the outskirts 
of the city which was to be his future home. 
With an earnest prayer for courage the poor 
child hurried up the steps and followed a serv- 
ant into the stately drawing-room which seemed 
strangely large to the newcomer. A very 
beautiful but indolent looking lady was half 
reclining on a lounge and sat up, when the 
child entered, examining with a sharp scrutiniz- 
ing glance, while a tall, clever-looking man 
came forward with outstretched hand. 

“ So this is Ronald,” he said not unkindly 
as still holding the child’s hand he eyed him 
from head to foot. “ Yes,” he added with 
evident satisfaction, “ I should have known you 
as my brother’s son anywhere, for you are the 
image of him when he was your age. You 
have my mother’s eyes, as he had ; otherwise 
you’re a Manningham all over.” 

“ Mother always said I was like father,” said 
Ronald, flushing with pleasure. 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 


53 


“You forget, Ronald, that your mother^s 
name is never to be mentioned here/’ said the 
judge in a low, warning voice. 

“ And why not ? ” cried Ronald with a sob. 
“ She was the dearest, sweetest mother ! ” 

“ She may have been,” said his uncle coldly, 
“ but she was not the sort of person we care to 
remember as having been a member of our 
family.” 

“ My mother was a perfect lady,” began 
Ronald ; “ her people were ” 

“ Enough of this, and remember my will is 
law in this house,” interrupted the judge. 
“Now come and shake hands with your aunt.” 

The lady gave him just the end of her finger 
tips and said patronizingly as she turned to her 
husband : 

“Yes, his appearance is far better than we 
might have feared and he shows little sign of 
his low origin. Of course there will be much 
to do to teach him manners and counteract the 
effects of the common surroundings and com- 
pany he has been used to, but Miss Rouniss 
will see to that. She must also see about his 


54 


RONALD’S MISSION 


getting new clothes at once ; that tie is not at 
all the correct thing. Will you send the child 
to the schoolroom, dear ? He’ll find his cousins 
there and Miss Rouniss will take charge of 
him.” 

Poor Ronald gulped down a sob, for the tie 
was one of those his dear mother had given him 
and he thought it the most beautiful one he’d 
ever seen. He was, with some difficulty, keep- 
ing back his tears when his uncle led him into a 
bright airy room, where a pretty little Irish ter- 
rier ran up to greet him, jumping around him 
and barking excitedly. 

“ I have brought you my nephew, Ronald, 
Miss Rouniss,” said Judge Manningham. 
“ Will you make him acquainted with his cous- 
ins and in fact take entire charge of him ? I 
hope you will not mind this addition to your 
already numerous duties.” 

“ Indeed not,” said the governess. ” I shall 
be happy to have another pupil to give Lionel 
a little emulation, and I’m sure we shall be great 
friends,” she added with a pleasant smile at 
Ronald as she pressed his hand with a friendly 


NEW SURROUNDINGS 


55 


greeting which instantly won the child's loving 
gratitude. “ Isn't it strange that Nettle should 
have recognized him at once as one of the 
family ? She is generally so averse to strangers. 
This is your Cousin Lionel," she added as a 
rather sullen looking boy came forward to 
shake hands with Ronald, ‘‘ and this is our baby, 
Teresa." 

The wee tot of two was as unlike her brother 
as possible. She had the same dark eyes as 
Ronald, masses of dark brown curls that showed 
up her delicate olive complexion, rosy cheeks, 
and cherry-red lips. She looked straight up 
into Ronald's face with the confiding candor of 
babyhood and her impression was evidently as 
favorable as Nettle's had been, for she put out 
her arms to him and as he stooped down to her, 
she hugged him round the neck exclaiming : 

“ I love oo, Ronald — oo's pretty." 

The others all laughed but Ronald's eyes 
swam with tears and his voice was rather un- 
steady as he exclaimed : 

“ Oh, thank you, little Teresa ! You are 
dear 1 " 


56 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ How tall Ronald is,” exclaimed the govern- 
ess. “ I thought he was no older than Lionel.” 

“ No, he is three months younger,” answered 
the judge. “ Lionel will have to try to catch 
him up in size, but I expect Ronald will be be- 
hind him in his studies, for he has not had the 
same advantages as my boy ; indeed I expect 
you will have much to teach him. Miss Rouniss, 
to undo the effects of an unfortunate upbring- 
ing. I can see he’s a regular Manningham, 
however, and he’ll do all right in time, I have 
no doubt. Well, I hope you little people will 
soon make friends, and so now I will leave you 
until dinner time. Make yourself at home, 
Ronald,” he added kindly, as he patted the 
boy’s shoulder before quitting the room. 


V 


RONALDOS MISSION BEGINS 

Before many days had passed Ronald fully 
realized that he was looked upon with antago- 
nism not only by Lionel but by his aunt, whom 
it seemed so strange to Ronald to hear called 
Mrs. Manningham. His most bitter enemy, 
however, w^as a sharp-faced sanctimonious 
woman who was the children’s nurse after hav- 
ing been their mother’s. She idolized her 
charges, specially Lionel, whom she spoiled 
outrageously, but she was a perfect tyrant in 
the household and such a mischief-maker that 
all the other servants both dreaded and hated 
her. She was furious that Ronald should have 
been taken into the family, dreading lest he 
should in any way outshine Lionel or receive 
any share of the Manningham wealth, and she 
disliked him all the more for being what she 
termed a Papist. She was always quoting Scrip- 
57 


58 


RONALD’S MISSION 


ture and talking about the Lord, and she de- 
clared that Papists were worshippers of idols 
and destroyers of the Bible and from the very 
first she excited Lionel as much as she could 
against what she called “ the little idolatrous in- 
truder.” 

Still, if Ronald had these enemies, he soon 
found he had also very firm friends. First and 
foremost was Miss Rouniss, whose heart had 
gone out to the motherless lad the minute she 
saw him ; then Teresa and the little dog. Nettle, 
were both devoted to him. As for his uncle he 
really loved the boy and longed to be kind and 
fatherly to him but he clearly saw how jealous 
his wife and son were of him and thought it 
best to take but little apparent notice of him. 

The dinner on the day of his arrival was a 
very trying ordeal to Ronald, as he felt so 
keenly that his every movement was being 
watched and criticized. Even his aunt could 
find very little fault with him, however, for, 
though they had been poor, his mother had al- 
ways taught him perfect manners and, in point 
of fact, he behaved much better than Lionel. 


RONALD'S MISSION BEGINS 59 

As he was going to his room that night, he 
had to pass nurse's door which was ajar and, 
in spite of his endeavor not to listen, he could 
not help hearing her sharp, sneering voice say- 
ing : 

“ Yes, his mother was a half-breed Indian, so 
I've heard. She began by being a comedy 
actress and then when she failed in that she 
took to dressmaking. And it's that low crea- 
ture's child that they're giving as a companion 
to my own sweet Lionel, bless him." 

Poor Ronald ! The words seemed to cut 
him to the heart and he felt as if he must rush in 
and ask the woman how she dare speak thus of 
his own dear mother, but he restrained himself 
and half staggering to his room, he flung him- 
self on his knees and cried as if his heart would 
break. 

It was more than an hour afterwards when 
Miss Rouniss on her way to her room heard the 
child's pitiful sobs and went in gently, locking 
the door behind her. 

‘‘ Poor little Ronald ! Poor little motherless 
boy ! " she cried with a sob in her own voice as 


6o 


RONALD’S MISSION 


she knelt by the bed and took the weeping child 
into her arras. “ There, Ronald, there ! Don’t 
think you are alone and friendless, dear. I’ll 
be a true friend to you and take your dear 
mother’s place as well as I can. Tell me all 
about her, Ronald ; tell me all your sorrow, 
dear.” 

It seemed to Ronald as if God had sent an 
angel from heaven to comfort him, it was such 
an intense relief to feel those loving arms around 
him and to be able to tell all his pent-up sorrow 
and anguish to a sympathizing friend. Miss 
Rouniss was very indignant when she heard of 
the nurse’s cruel remarks. 

“ I’m sorry she’s taken a dislike to you, 
dear,” she said sadly, “ for she is a harsh, 
vindictive woman who hides her spitefulness 
under a cloak of supposed virtue and religion. 
Don’t grieve about what she said of your dear 
mother, my child. What can it matter what 
such a woman as that says or thinks ? Now re- 
member, dear, that I will always be a true friend 
to you and when we are alone you will be my 
own dear little Ronald and I will love to hear 


RONALD’S MISSION BEGINS 


6l 


all you can tell me about yourself and your 
mother and will try to help you in all your diffi- 
culties. But I see there will be much jealousy 
about you, so before others I shall not show you 
any special attention. Will you understand 
this, dear ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, and I thank you so much,” cried 
Ronald. “ How good God was to send you to 
me to-night ! I felt so wretched, so wretched, I 
almost wished I could die and go to mother.” 

“ You must not wish that, Ronald,” cried the 
governess earnestly. “ Remember you told me 
that your mother wished you to be brave and 
that your father left you a great mission, that of 
winning your uncle back to his faith.” 

“ Are you a Catholic ? ” asked Ronald wist- 
fully. 

“No, I was brought up a Methodist, but I 
have known Catholics and have a great ad- 
miration for their faith. Some day you must 
help me to understand more about it. So you 
see you have much to do in life, dear, and must 
never get discouraged, even if you meet with 
trials and difficulties. It is by conquering them 


62 


RONALD'S MISSION 


that you will make your life worth while and 
show you are worthy of your mother's trust in 
you. Well, I must not stay much longer, else 
it may be noticed. Good-night, dear, and 
though you're but a little fellow remember 
those grand words of St. Paul, ‘ I can do all 
things through Christ who strengtheneth me.' " 

Have you ever heard of the “whipping 
boys " little princes used to have in the olden 
times? Well, for many months poor Ronald 
served as “whipping boy" to Lionel, and what- 
ever mischief the spoiled child did, it was his 
cousin who was blamed for it and generally 
punished for it. Not only that, but there was 
no end to the tyranny Lionel exercised over his 
little victim or the slights and petty annoyances 
to which he subjected him. Miss Rouniss, it is 
true, did her very utmost to help and vindicate 
Ronald, but she was well-nigh powerless against 
the combined enmity of Lionel and Mrs. Man- 
ningham, and the still more bitter hatred of the 
nurse. The judge saw through a good deal of 
what went on and grieved over it, but felt that 
his interference might perhaps only anger his 


RONALD'S MISSION BEGINS 63 

wife the more against his nephew. Ronald 
bore it all very patiently, praying earnestly for 
strength and courage and offering all his misery 
for his uncle's conversion, the great work which, 
for the present, seemed to him such an utterly 
hopeless task. He was only allowed to go to 
church once a week for the Sunday Mass, but 
Father Dalton had written about him to the 
kind parish priest who was deeply interested in 
“ the little martyr," as he called him, and did 
his very utmost to help him. Every Sunday he 
heard his confession before Mass and allowed 
him to receive Holy Communion, and this 
weekly reception of his dear Lord was Ronald's 
solace and support during the rest of the week. 
Then he had a great joy which softened the 
bitterness of his life, and that was his hope 
of seeing his dear Miss Rouniss become a Cath- 
olic. 

“As you know, I was brought up a Prot- 
estant," she said to Ronald a few days after his 
arrival, during one of those heart-to-heart talks 
they had of an evening after every one had 
gone to bed. “ Still, my religion has never sat- 


64 


RONALD’S MISSION 


isfied me, and I have always admired the ear- 
nestness with which my Catholic friends prac- 
tice theirs. You must let me see some of your 
books, Ronald, and I will try to understand 
more about that grand faith which makes saintly 
women such as your mother must have been, 
and gives patience and courage even to a poor 
little fellow like yourself.” 

Full of joy, Ronald had repeated this con- 
versation to good Father Malden. He hastened 
to loan him the books most likely to help and 
enlighten the governess, who became more and 
more drawn to the Catholic faith as she read 
them. 

Ronald’s very qualities were but fuel to the 
wrath and jealousy of Lionel and his mother 
and nurse. He was clever and hard-working 
and soon far outstripped lazy Lionel in all his 
studies, as well as in physical culture and music. 
He was far handsomer, taller for his age, more 
winning in his manner, and a pleasanter com- 
panion in every way, and he soon became a 
great favorite with all the children of their 
acquaintance. His gentleness and gratitude 


RONALD’S MISSION BEGINS 65 

for the slightest thing done for him also en- 
deared him to all the servants except nurse. 
As for his uncle he became more and more 
attached to the little fellow, who reminded him 
so strongly of his own mother and of the 
brother he had so loved in his youth, and whom 
he now bitterly regretted having forsaken in his 
troubles. Why had he given up his faith and 
self-respect? To acquire a still larger fortune 
and win the love of a beautiful, capricious 
woman! Had they made him happy? Ah, 
no ! He realized it more and more bitterly ; 
he was anything but happy, and in order to 
maintain even a show of peace and unity in his 
home he had given up all authority. Even 
now he dare not defend his little nephew from 
persecution ; he dare not exert his right of hav- 
ing his own son brought up as he should be. 
He realized that the child was lazy, deceitful, 
selfish, totally lacking in courage and con- 
science. He felt that if this continued he would 
grow up to be a failure and a disgrace to his 
family, yet he had not the energy to take him 
in hand himself. What was there to give him 


66 


RONALD’S MISSION 


moral courage now that he had turned his back 
upon God? He did, however, superintend the 
boys’ studies to a certain extent, and one day he 
had promised a prize to the one that wrote the 
best account of “The Ride of Paul Revere.” 
Ronald had worked long and steadily at his 
paper, Lionel had, with his characteristic lazi- 
ness, left it to the last minute and scrambled 
through it anyhow. When it was finished, how- 
ever, he realized how inferior it would most 
likely be to his cousin’s, and confided his morti- 
fication to nurse. The result of their conference 
was that the very evening before the essays 
were to be handed in, Ronald’s carefully-done 
work disappeared from his room. The poor 
boy was in despair about it, and hunted for it 
everywhere as did Miss Rouniss, to whom he 
had gone in his trouble, as he always did. 

The next morning when Judge and Mrs. 
Manningham came to see the essays they were 
told of the strange disappearance of Ronald’s 
manuscript, which everybody in the house de- 
nied having touched. 

“Perhaps Ronald never wrote it or thought 


RONALD’S MISSION BEGINS 67 

it SO bad he found it best to destroy it,” said Mrs. 
Manningham sneeringly. 

“ Indeed that was not it, Mrs. Manningham, 
for I happened to go into Ronald’s room yester- 
day morning and saw it lying on his table. I 
took the time to glance it through and found it 
uncommonly good for a boy of his age. I am 
sure Judge Manningham would have thougnt 
so too if he had had a chance of seeing it,” 
she added hotly. 

“ Oh, you are always sticking up for Ronald, 
Miss Rouniss,” said Mrs. Manningham in an 
aggrieved voice. “ Anyhow,” she added trium- 
phantly, Lionel will have to get the prize, as 
he is the only one to give in a paper.” 

Certainly not,” said his father sharply. “ To 
begin with, Lionel’s essay is a disgrace both as 
to composition and spelling. Secondly, there 
can be no competition where only one candidate 
comes forward. Instead of the essay I will give 
an oral examination on history. The one that 
answers best shall have the prize.” 

Needless to say that Lionel showed his ig- 
norance all too plainly and that Ronald, who 


68 


RONALD’S MISSION 


had worked up his subject so carefully, won 
the prize without the slightest difficulty. 

Mrs. Manningham herself was obliged to 
praise him, though she did it very grudgingly 
and with a sullen look on her beautiful face. 

As for Lionel, he was simply wild with anger 
and for the next few weeks he exerted all his 
ingenuity in doing things to annoy and pain his 
cousin. 

One of Ronald’s most highly prized treasures 
was the prayer-book his mother had given him 
on his birthday and which he had used on the 
day of his First Holy Communion. In it he had 
several beautiful holy pictures given him by the 
Sisters and other dear friends and one which 
he valued above all the others because it 
had been his father’s. One evening when he 
took up his prayer-book to say some of his 
night prayers, he found it all torn and smudged 
over with daubs of paint and his dear holy pic- 
tures scribbled over, smudged with paint or 
turned into caricatures. The child had borne 
with many things without a murmur but this one 
nearly broke his heart, and Miss Rouniss when 


RONALD’S MISSION BEGINS 69 

she came for her nightly visit found him sobbing 
inconsolably. Her indignation knew no bounds 
when she heard of the outrage which had been 
committed. Before Ronald could stop her, she 
seized the book and hurried to the judge’s study, 
for she knew that he always sat there till nearly 
midnight. She had half feared that he would 
take little notice of the whole affair and let the 
matter drop as he had done in the case of 
Ronald’s manuscript. To her surprise and joy, 
however, he was as indignant as she had been 
herself and immediately went up to Ronald’s 
room with her to ask him further particulars. 

It was the last thing mother ever gave me,” 
sobbed Ronald, “ and it was for my First Com- 
munion, and that little holy picture of our Lord 
and St. John she put in it because it had been 
father’s and he prized it so much.” 

The judge took the picture out and looked at 
it. Smudged and disfigured as it was he recog- 
nized it at once ; and it stabbed him to the heart, 
for it was the one he had given his brother him- 
self the day on which they had made their First 
Holy Communion together and had afterwards 


70 


RONALD'S MISSION 


promised to be inseparable friends to their dy- 
ing day. He seemed to see his brother again, 
so full of strength and happiness, to feel his 
warm hand-clasp and see the look of love in his 
brown eyes, and his own were moist at the rec- 
ollection. For a minute he could not speak, 
then sitting down he drew the boy to him and 
tried to comfort him. 

“ I can quite understand what you feel about 
this, my boy," he said to him kindly, “ and I am 
as grieved about it as you are, and more angry, 
I have no doubt. I shall do my utmost to dis- 
cover and punish the culprit and I shall also 
send your book to a place where it will be re- 
paired as perfectly as is possible. I would give 
you a new one, only I know it could never re- 
place the one which was so dear to you because 
of its associations. As to this holy picture of 
your father's, I will keep it, if you will allow me, 
defaced and desecrated as it is, and instead of 
it I will give you one exactly like it which he 
gave me on the same day and which I have al- 
ways kept in the book my dear mother gave me." 

“ Oh, uncle," exclaimed Ronald as he leaned 


RONALD'S MISSION BEGINS 7 1 

confidingly against the judge's shoulder, “ I 
wish you'd tell me something about my father 
when he was a little boy." 

Anxious to make the child forget his trouble, 
his uncle readily complied with his request and 
as he related story after story of his happy boy- 
hood and companionship with his brother, his 
heart felt strangely moved with the memories of 
those vanished days and of the dear ones he 
would never see again in this world. 

When he was about to go, Ronald thanked 
him effusively ; then he added, looking plead- 
ingly up into his face, ‘‘ When I was quite a 
little chap, father and mother and I used to say 
our prayers together. Father always began 
and mother and I answered, and oh, it was 
lovely ! Now I have to say them all alone. 
Won't you say your prayers with me to-night, 
uncle ? " 

The judge hesitated and looked around for 
Miss Rouniss but she had tactfully disappeared 
and kneeling down by the side of his nephew, 
Mr. Manningham said once more the dear 
familiar night prayers which he remembered so 


72 


RONALD’S MISSION 


well, though it was many a long time since he 
had said them. 

In spite of his sorrow about his book Ronald 
went to sleep with a happy smile that night, 
after having thanked God fervently for this first 
step towards the success of his mission ; and as 
the judge handled the poor little mutilated 
prayer-book his heart burned strangely within 
him and he unconsciously murmured a prayer 
for mercy. 

The next day he instituted a very strict inquiry 
as to the “ outrage ” which he said had been 
committed in his house. He reminded his as- 
sembled household that destroying another’s 
property was a punishable offense, little less 
serious than stealing, and declared that if any- 
thing of the kind occurred again he would call 
in the police and have the matter thoroughly 
investigated. 

“ I expect it was only somebody’s fun,” said 
nurse sourly, “ and after all it’s no great loss to 
have had one of them popish books destroyed.” 

“ And pray why is it no great loss ? ” inquired 
the judge. “ My nephew has as much right to 


RONALD'S MISSION BEGINS 73 

his things as any one else in the house. Would 
you care to have one of your books treated like 
this ? To show you that I consider this no 
light matter," he added, “ I offer a reward of 
^100 to any one who can give me information 
which will lead to the discovery of the culprit." 

Lionel had been vehement in his protestations 
of innocence, but when he heard this he glanced 
round with a scared look and shifted uneasily 
on his feet and his father felt more and more 
convinced that nurse or Lionel or both were the 
real culprits. Having no proof of it, however, 
he dropped the matter for the present and dis- 
missed every one from his study. 


VI 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 

Mr. Manningham was very anxious that the 
boys should both be good horsemen and brave 
and fearless in all athletic sports, but though he 
had endeavored to train Lionel to this, almost 
from his babyhood, he had never been able to 
conquer the child’s indolence and lack of cour- 
age. Almost before the little fellow could walk 
he had put him in a safe basket on a tiny 
Shetland pony’s back and as soon as he could 
straddle had insisted on his learning to ride, but 
Lionel had ever been a most unsatisfactory pupil. 

When Ronald arrived one of the first things 
his uncle did was to buy a pony for him and 
though the child had never ridden before he 
learned to do so in an incredibly short time and 
carried himself with such ease and grace that 
even his aunt had to admire his good riding. 
Unfortunately for poor Ronald’s peace, Mr. 

74 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 75 

Manningham endeavored to nettle his son into 
trying to do better, by ceaselessly remarking 
on the fact of his cousin^s superior horseman- 
ship and the jealous little fellow hated whom he 
considered his rival all the more heartily for it 
and longed to be revenged upon him for what 
he called getting him into trouble. 

Some time after Ronald had learned to ride, 
the judge sold the two Shetlands which were, he 
declared, too babyish for the children, and 
bought them two beautiful, fair sized ponies, — 
a particularly high spirited bay for Ronald, a 
quieter and smaller roan for Lionel. In his 
heart of hearts the little boy was glad enough to 
have a less difficult horse to manage than was 
Ronaldos bay, called the Red Prince, but nurse 
excited him to envy and anger by telling him 
that Rosamund, his own beautiful mare, was a 
much less valuable animal and that it was a 
great shame Mr. Manningham should thus have 
favored an interloper instead of giving the best 
to his own son. This increased Lionel's ill will 
and sulky temper and it was in vain that his 
father explained to him that, until he learned to 


76 


RONALD’S MISSION 


manage his steed better, it would be unsafe for 
him to ride one as difficult to manage as was the 
Red Prince. 

“ When you can ride as fearlessly as Ronald 
I will give you a spirited horse,” he continued ; 
“ but while you continue to be as timid as some 
nervous old lady I cannot risk your getting your 
precious neck broken. And while we are talk- 
ing of horses, Lionel, let me warn you to be 
kinder to Rosamund than you were to poor 
Bobby. That was the most patient, long suffer- 
ing beast I ever came across and the way you 
teased and ill used it was simply shameful. 
Now this little mare is a fairly docile animal, 
but I fancy that if aroused, she is like many 
quiet people, quite capable of showing her 
temper. Therefore if you torment her she may 
seize the first opportunity to bite or throw you. 
Horses are often very revengeful when smart- 
ing under injustice and I want you to remember 
that it is only a cruel and cowardly boy or man 
who ever unnecessarily hurts or torments a 
dumb animal. A noble-hearted fellow never 
does such a thing. I often heard it said in the 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 77 

army that you could judge of a cavalry soldier^s 
character and bravery by the way he treated his 
horse.” 

Again Lionel’s blood boiled with rage for he 
knew how fond Ronald was of animals and he 
felt sure he was the noble-hearted fellow that his 
father had alluded to. 

For a time the two boys were allowed to go 
out riding by themselves in a fine park which 
was but a short distance from the house. All 
went well at first, though Lionel was generally 
very sulky and far from pleasant during their out- 
ing, but one day, after having been worked up 
by nurse, he determined upon being revenged 
on Ronald and showing that his cousin was not 
such a good rider after all. So, watching his 
opportunity, he seized a moment when the Red 
Prince was nervous and restive to ride close up 
to him and give him a sharp cut with his riding 
whip. Frenzied with fear and pain the pony 
reared violently and plunged hither and thither, 
bucking and kicking with all his might With 
an earnest prayer for help Ronald did his ut- 
most to quiet him and with some difficulty sue- 


78 


RONALD’S MISSION 


ceeded in keeping his seat. Before Lionel had 
been able to get out of the way, however, Rosa- 
mund had been within an inch of getting a kick 
in the face and wildly frightened, she too, be- 
gan to leap and plunge and in a few seconds 
threw her rider on the soft grass by the side of 
the road, took to her heels and ran away for all 
she was worth. Onlookers rushed to the rescue 
and after a while Rosamund was caught and 
brought back to Lionel who, though unhurt, 
was almost beside himself with rage, fear and 
mortification and loudly accused Ronald of hav- 
ing purposely excited the Red Prince to kick 
his pony in the face. 

“ That ain’t true, young master,” said a road- 
mender who had been close by at the time of 
the accident. “ It was all your doings for hit- 
ting that other little chap’s horse mean-like as I 
seed you do.” 

Lionel crimsoned and leaving Rosamund to 
the care of whoever would hold her, hurried 
home on foot to complain to his mother of Ron- 
ald’s conduct to him, repeating his story about 
his having made the Red Prince kick Rosa- 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 79 

mund and adding that he’d seen him laugh at 
him when he fell. 

Mr. Manningham happened to be at home 
and though his wife was inclined to believe the 
child and blame Ronald harshly, he interrupted 
her by saying quietly that he was sure the boy 
could not have done it purposely but that, as 
the Red Prince had shown signs of being rest- 
ive that morning, it was not unlikely that he had 
kicked out in spite of all his rider’s efforts to 
manage him. 

“ And how did Rosamund behave after you 
got on again ? Where is she ? Is she much 
hurt ? ” he inquired. 

“ I — I didn’t get on again. I wasn’t feeling 
well and — and I left her to a man who was 
holding her.” 

“ You mean to say that you walked home and 
left your pony in the park ? ” inquired his fa- 
ther angrily. Of all the little cowards ! ” 

“ The poor child was scared,” said Mrs. Man- 
ningham, petting her son. ‘‘You mustn’t be 
hard on him.” 

“ Hard on him, no, but the minute I find 


8o 


RONALD’S MISSION 


Rosamund he shall get on her again or there’s 
an end to his riding; you know that, Lucile. 
He’s been timid enough before. Now come 
with me, Lionel,” he said in the stern voice he 
used on some occasions when even his wife did 
not dare to oppose him. 

On arriving at the stables they found Ron- 
ald looking very white and shaken and inquir- 
ing anxiously about his cousin. 

“ What did you mean by making the Red 
Prince kick Lionel’s pony in the face ? ” asked 
his aunt angrily. 

Ronald grew if possible paler as he said : 

“ Indeed, I did not make the Red Prince do 
it. Aunt Lucile. I was trying all I could to 
calm him but he was just wild with — with 
fright, I suppose.” 

“ There is no sign of a kick anywhere about 
the mare, so let’s say no more about it,” said 
Mr. Manningham impatiently. “ Get up on 
Rosamund, Lionel, and Ronald, go up to your 
lessons. This is the last time you boys can be 
allowed to go out by yourselves, for evidently 
you’re not to be trusted.” 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 8 1 

Ronald went up very sorrowfully for he felt 
that his aunt believed his cousin’s untrue ac- 
cusation, and it had been all he could do to 
refrain from clearing himself by telling of 
Lionel’s treacherous act. He could even have 
given a witness, for the road-mender had said 
as he handed him Rosamund’s bridle : 

“ If that there little cuss begins telling lies 
about how this ’ere happened, you just tell 
your pa to come and see me about it, young 
un.” 

Another bitter disappointment to Ronald, was 
that of being deprived of his daily ride which 
he enjoyed so intensely, all the more so, that it 
had for a time prevented him from having to 
go walks with nurse, who never missed an op- 
portunity of being disagreeable to him. He 
bore this trouble patiently, however, as he had 
done so many others, praying to Our Lady to 
give him courage and to grant that he might 
win the hearts of his uncle and aunt in time. 
Miss Rouniss guessed something of the real 
facts of the case, for she knew of Lionel’s spite 
and jealousy, but she felt that it was Ronald’s 


82 


RONALD’S MISSION 


faith alone which gave him such self-control 
and patience and she honored him too much 
for his moral courage to tempt him into telling 
tales of his little persecutor. She therefore 
limited herself to being loving and sympathetic 
with him and giving him true joy by talking 
with him more and more about his holy faith 
and letting him see how eager she was to be 
received into the Church. Little Teresa was 
also a great comfort to him by her loving, 
caressing ways, and her loyalty to him on all 
occasions. 

It was Mr. Manningham’s habit after lunch 
to take the boys with him to the stables where 
they petted the horses and fed them with dainties 
from the table, a slice of melon, an apple, or bit 
of sugar. In spite of all his father could say to 
him, Lionel delighted in showing some tempting 
morsel to Rosamund, then snatching it away 
and hiding it behind his back. 

“You’ll get bitten if you don’t take care,” 
said his father severely, “ and it will serve you 
right. Either give Rosamund the apple or 
don’t offer it to her. Whatever you do, don’t 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 83 

tantalize her in that way, else I won^t let you 
come to the stables any more” 

But one day when he thought his father was 
not looking and while Ronald was busily feed- 
ing and petting the Red Prince, Lionel teased 
Rosamund again and she made a vicious grab 
at his hand, showing him a fine, strong double 
row of teeth. Lionel escaped just in time but 
he resolved to cure her of this trick and teach 
her to bear his teasing as poor little Bobby had 
done. The next day the two boys were to go 
out riding with Mr. Manningham and the three 
horses were all saddled and standing ready in 
their stalls, facing outward. While the judge’s 
back was turned Lionel again teased Rosamund 
with the apple but her temper was up, her ears 
had gone back at the very sight of him and 
again she made a grab to bite him and would 
have done so, had she not been securely fastened 
to the side of the stall by her bridle. A look of 
almost fiendish rage came into Lionel’s face 
and, just as his father turned round, he quickly 
brought forward his riding whip which he had 
been hiding behind his back and brutally 


84 RONALD’S MISSION 

Struck the mare over the head with it. Mad- 
dened by the blow, the little mare gave that 
rare, but unearthly, blood curdling shriek of 
pain, which a wounded horse can utter, and 
plunged and kicked so wildly, that in an instant 
she had snapped her bridle and would have 
rushed on Lionel and probably trampled him to 
death, had not Mr. Manningham sprang forward 
and caught her at the risk of serious injury to 
himself. The coachmen had rushed to the 
rescue at the sound of that fearful shriek, and 
with their help the boys were hurried out of 
the stables and the frenzied animal was securely 
fastened and finally calmed and pacified. When 
Mr. Manningham came to join the boys outside 
he was white to the lips and there was a flash 
in his eyes which made Lionel quake before 
him. 

“ What made you strike that poor beast so 
cruelly ? ” he asked angrily. 

“ She tried to bite me again I ” sobbed 
Lionel. 

“ Indeed ! And pray why did she try to bite 
you ? ” 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 85 

“ I — she didn’t want her apple,” began Lionel. 

Stop I ” cried Mr. Manningham. ‘‘ I don’t 
want any of your lies, Lionel. You were teas- 
ing her again with the apple ? ” 

Lionel hung his head. 

“I knew it,” continued his father. ‘‘What 
did I say about that, yesterday ? Didn’t I ex- 
pressly forbid you to do this ? 

“ I — I wanted to teach her not to bite.” 

“ Indeed ! Is that your way of teaching 
obedience? Would you like me to try it on 
you?” 

Lionel began to roar. 

“ Stop that, you cry baby, and go into the 
house, both of you boys, for the horses will not 
be fit for you to ride to-day. They have all 
been scared and are prancing and kicking like 
mad things. When I come in. I’ll see about 
punishing you, Lionel ; for mind you, I mean 
to make you learn to obey.” 

Lionel was all the more wild because, this 
time, there was no way of throwing the blame 
on Ronald and because, for once, even his 
mother was indignant, when she heard of his 


86 


RONALD’S MISSION 


treatment of the pretty little mare. As he sat 
in his room brooding over his anger and dis- 
grace, he resolved to do something spiteful to 
Ronald and to the Red Prince ; just what, he 
didn’t exactly know, but he would think out 
something before long. 

The next day, his father forbade him to come 
to the stables with them after lunch, and this 
spoiled quite a lovely plan which he had made ; 
which was to push the prickly sheath of a 
horse-chestnut under Red Prince’s saddle where, 
he felt sure, it would so chafe and irritate him, 
as to make him throw his cousin. He did not 
realize that by doing this he might become 
a murderer, nor did he care if he lamed his 
victim for life. When, a few hours later, the 
horses were brought round, Mr. Manningham 
was watching Lionel closely and Rosamund 
put back her ears and pawed the ground 
angrily, the minute she saw him. The boy 
noticed this and was so scared that he drew 
back, crying : 

“ I don’t wish to ride to-day. I’m sure 
Rosamund isn’t safe.” 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 87 

‘‘ She was safe enough the day I bought her 
and if she^s vicious now it is your fault,” an- 
swered Mr. Manningham. ‘‘ Besides, I rode 
her myself this morning to test her and she 
was perfectly tractable. Jump on, Lionel, and 
keep close to me. Til watch your angry steed,” 
he added with a mocking laugh. 

Lionel put one foot up but it was no easy 
matter for him to mount Rosamund, for she 
reared and bucked and did all she could to 
keep him off her back. At last, however, when 
the boy was seated the pony seemed resigned 
to carrying him and trotted along quietly be- 
side the hunter, as if she felt how closely she 
was being watched and knew it was of no use 
to try and play any tricks. Every now and 
then she did begin to prance and rear a little, 
but a stern word from Mr. Manningham and a 
clutch at her bridle forced her into submission 
again. Still there was an unmistakable look of 
anger in the creature^s face and her ears told, 
plainly enough, that she did not forget the 
insult and injury inflicted upon her the day 
before. 


88 


RONALD’S MISSION 


Now that they had got well away from the 
city and were going along a country road, Mr. 
Manningham felt less anxious about Lionel and 
his mount and he began to talk to the boys 
about the sports and festivities he intended to 
get up on the Fourth of July for the people of a 
small place called Belsted, towards which they 
were now riding. It was several miles from 
town and the Manninghams, who owned many 
of its largest farms, were very popular among 
the country folk. 

“ I think,” continued the judge, “ that we will 
begin quite early in the afternoon with the 
usual village sports, then have a short baseball 
match for the men, and then wind up the after- 
noon with some donkey and pony races. That 
will be rather a novelty and make a good 
climax for the afternoon. In the evening we 
will give our own farmers and their friends a 
banquet and afterwards have a fine supply of 
fireworks.” 

Both the boys were delighted at the prospect 
of all this fun and they went on talking and 
making plans about this holiday until they 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 89 

came to some fields through which Mr. Man- 
ningham wanted to ride. They were enclosed 
by tall hedges and a great swinging gate, 
which the judge had to get down to open, as it 
was fastened by a padlock of which he had the 
duplicate key. The lock had got rather rusty 
and while he was struggling to get the key in, 
Rosamund took advantage of her opportunity 
and without the slightest warning suddenly 
plunged and kicked so violently, that Lionel 
was instantly thrown off to one side with one 
foot caught in the stirrup. His father had 
turned round on hearing a scream from both 
children and made a grab at Rosamund, but she 
escaped him and started to run away, dragging 
the unfortunate child after her. With a wild 
cry of ‘‘Jesus! Mary I help!” Ronald dashed 
forward and leaning over from his own restive 
beast, succeeded in freeing his cousin’s foot, 
while Rosamund turning suddenly round made 
for home at full gallop. 

It was some minutes before Ronald could 
calm the Red Prince sufficiently to dismount 
and fasten him to a tree, while he hurried 


90 


RONALD’S MISSION 


back to the others to see if he could be of any 
help. 

“ Is he much hurt ? ” he asked anxiously. 

“No, I think not,” answered his uncle. “ I 
find no bones broken and his back is all right. 
He’s only got this nasty cut on his head, but 
that’s nothing serious. If it hadn’t been for 
your quickness and presence of mind, though, 
Ronald, he would almost certainly have been 
dashed to pieces. Run down to the stream 
there and get me some water in your cap. 
Here, stand up, Lionel; you are more scared 
than hurt.” 

On their return, Mr. Manningham was loud in 
praise of his nephew’s conduct and his aunt, 
with tears in her eyes, was just pressing the lit- 
tle fellow’s hand and thanking him for saving 
her darling when he answered with a blush : 

“ Oh, it wasn’t I who saved Lionel. It was 
Jesus and Mary. I prayed so hard.” 

“ Oh, of course,” said Mrs. Manningham, 
drawing back with a look of annoyance ; “ you 
must pretend that the Virgin worked some 
miracle about it, though it was a very simple 


ROSAMUND AND THE RED PRINCE 91 

thing for you to have done after all. As I 
do not wish to rely on any more miracles, 
however, I will ask you to get rid of Rosamund, 
George, for it is evidently not safe for Lionel to 
ride her.’^ 

The judge looked annoyed. “ If you wish it, 
Lucile, I will get him a still quieter beast, but 
scarcely any horse will stand ill usage. I al- 
most wish I could manage to get Bobby back 
again.^^ 

One of their friends was delighted to buy 
Rosamund for his eldest boy and in her stead, 
Mr. Manningham purchased a very quiet, rather 
elderly gray pony, not particularly handsome or 
swift but steady as old time. 

“ There,” he said as he showed it to Lionel, 
‘‘ if you can^t manage this beast I see nothing 
for it but buying a sheep for you to ride next.” 


VII 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 

For a month or so Lionel had been very 
loath to ride even so quiet a beast as Dobbin 
Gray, his new pony, but a conversation which 
took place at luncheon one day inspired him 
with a sudden desire to distinguish himself as a 
rider if only to outdo Ronald. The judge was 
telling his wife of his wish to make the coming 
Fourth of July quite a red letter day in the 
annals of Belsted, as they would then be cele- 
brating the centenary of the purchase of the 
Manningham estates in that part of the coun- 
try. 

“ Why don’t you start it with a little flower, 
vegetable and poultry show in the morning ? ” 
suggested Mrs. Manningham. “ The farmers 
would be proud to show their products and the 
country folk their flowers and we might give 

some pretty and appropriate prizes. I will give 
92 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 93 

three prizes for one of the classes in the poultry 
show.’’ 

That’s a splendid idea, Lucile ; then we 
could have the sports in the afternoon, with the 
horse-races as a finish, to be followed by the 
banquet for the farmers and friends afterwards.” 

Splendid 1 ” cried Mrs. Manningham ; “ and 
to give a more festive air to everything we 
might invite a number of our friends and ask 
them to have their carriages and autos decked 
with flowers and flags.” 

And would there be a prize for the prettiest 
carriage or auto ? ” asked Lionel. 

Well, I think not,” said the judge. “ Hadn’t 
we better keep the prizes for the good folk down 
there or for the children ? ” 

“ Oh, I think there might be just one prize for 
the most prettily decorated vehicle; that would 
take in both the carriages and autos,” said Mrs. 
Manningham. “ I will drive the pair. I think 
a carriage can be decorated far more prettily 
than an auto ; but of course we cannot compete, 
for we couldn’t give ourselves a prize,” she 
added, laughing. 


94 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ Well, hardly. So we’ll have a small agri- 
cultural show in the morning, and in the after- 
noon sports for each and all. Of course we 
must have the old favorites such as climbing the 
greasy pole, potato races, tug of war, etc., but 
I wish we could think of something a little 
newer.” 

“ I saw a very good race for boys once,” sug- 
gested Miss Rouniss. “ They were all to wear 
high lace up shoes, and just before the race they 
took them off and the umpires collected them 
in sacks. Then, so that there should be no 
favoritism, all these sacks were simultaneously 
emptied in a heap at the further end of the 
race-course. The boys, barefooted, started 
from the near end of it and ran with all their 
might to the heap, where they searched for 
their shoes, put them on, laced and tied them 
and then flew back to the winning post. It was 
quite exciting to watch them.” 

“ Capital ! We will have that instead of the 
potato race.” 

“ Are we to play in any of the games, uncle ? ” 
asked Ronald. 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 


95 


“ Well, in a few, perhaps.” 

“ Then couldn’t we have a jumping match ? 
Lionel is such a splendid one at jumping.” 

“ You are right ; that’s about his only accom- 
plishment,” laughed the judge. “Well, we’ll 
have a jumping match and give Lionel a chance. 
You’re nearly as good at it as he is, though. 
Then of course there’ll be running matches as 
well.” 

“ Oh, we must have all the old ladies racing 
with a lighted candle,” cried Mrs. Manning- 
ham. “ I saw a race of that kind once and I 
laughed ’til I cried.” 

“ Nurse could run in that, couldn’t she ?” cried 
Teresa, eagerly. 

“ Gracious sakes, child ! Don’t suggest it to 
her, or you’ll get your head bitten off,” laughed 
Mr. Manningham. “ Old lady indeed ! Why, 
nurse would be most indignant at the sugges- 
tion.” 

“ I thought she was old,” said Teresa, pen- 
sively. 

“ Well, she was younger once upon a time. 
Then, as I was telling the boys, after the old 


96 RONALD’S MISSION 

ladies’ race we’ll have a short baseball contest 
for the men.” 

“ And a prize, father ?” 

“ Of course, prizes for everything. And after 
the game we’ll have the mounted races, to be- 
gin with a donkey race for the small boys' and 
girls, then a pony race for you two boys and 
your little friends, and finally a horseback race 
for the men.” 

“ Oh, I wish I had Rosamund ! ” exclaimed 
Lionel. “ Dobbin is such a slow coach.” 

“ Whose fault is it if you have Dobbin in- 
stead of Rosamund ? ” said his father. “ I’ve 
been thinking that to make this pony race pret- 
tier we might have all the little lads dressed up 
as cowboys.” 

“ Oh, fine ! ” cried the children, clapping their 
hands. 

Ronald’s eyes glowed with pleasure at the 
prospect of the race, but he didn’t say much ; 
indeed he hardly ever spoke much at table, for 
he was always afraid of getting snubbed by his 
aunt, as often happened. 

After the conversation Lionel could think of 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 


97 


nothing but of this cowboy race and his jeal- 
ousy at the thought that Ronald would doubt- 
less win it. He forgot that his cousin had asked 
for the jumping match to give him a chance of 
getting a prize ; he could think of nothing but 
his spiteful jealousy. Oh, if only he could dis- 
cover some way to prevent Ronald from run- 
ning or at any rate from winning. He could 
think of nothing else for days and at last con- 
fided his difficulty to a disreputable youth 
called Sam, who had once been a stable boy, 
but had been dismissed for his bad conduct and 
unreliableness. This young fellow occasionally 
managed to come sneaking round the park to 
talk to Lionel, from whom he often obtained a 
few dimes in exchange for more or less worthy 
services. This time, however, he insisted that 
the job was such a ticklish one and might cost 
him so dear, that he wouldn^t undertake it un- 
less Lionel would give him in advance a whole 
five dollars. In payment for this sum, he prom- 
ised to carry out a plan by which Ronald would 
“ come a cropper before he was half through 
the race. 


98 


RONALD’S MISSION 


Lionel hated to part with his only five dollar 
bill ; still he was so determined to get the better 
of Ronald, that he finally gave it to Sam, with 
many injunctions to be sure not to fail in his 
plan and not to tell of him whatever happened. 

A few days later Miss Rouniss stopped the 
judge in the hall, saying : 

“ I feel rather anxious about Lionel. He 
seems so strangely absent-minded these last few 
days and two or three times lately, on looking 
out of my window. I’ve seen him talking with 
a rather disreputable-looking boy, a shock- 
headed, red-haired fellow of fourteen or there- 
abouts. Do you know who he can be ? ” 

“ That sounds like a very accurate description 
of a most undesirable fellow we once had as 
stable boy,” answered Mr. Manningham, “ but 
1 had no idea he ever came around the place. 
I’ll have the matter looked into, for he is by no 
means the kind of boy I would wish my son to 
have anything to do with.” 

On being questioned, Lionel pretended to have 
no recollection of Sam, the stable boy, and made 
out that he had met a beggar lad one day and 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 


99 


given him a nickel, but had not had anything 
more to say to him. His father did not much 
believe him, but as he could not prove this to 
be untrue, he ordered a sharp lookout to be 
kept for the objectionable Sam and then thought 
no more about the matter. 

‘‘ Lionel,” remarked his mother at luncheon 
the next day, “ wouldn’t you like to give one of 
the prizes for the children’s donkey race ? I 
was thinking it would be nice for each of the 
children to give one ; don’t you think so, George ? 
Lionel could give first prize, Ronald second, and 
baby, the third.” 

A capital idea,” assented Mr. Manningham. 
“ What shall the prizes be ? ” 

“ Don’t you think a silver cup for the first, a 
baseball for the second and a good Waterman 
watch for the third ?’^ 

“ Good ! But I think the children should 
pay for at least part of the things themselves if 
they give them.” 

‘‘ Most certainly. Lionel, I know you have a 
five dollar bill, for I gave it you, only a few days 
ago.” 


lOO 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ I — I lost it,” stammered Lionel, reddening 
up to the roots of his hair. 

“ Lost it ? When ? Where ? Why didn’t you 
say something about it ? ” exclaimed his mother. 

“ I found it out only yesterday, mother. It 
was in my top drawer. I’m sure somebody 
must have taken it,” muttered the child with an 
evil glance at his cousin. 

“ Nonsense, Lionel ! ” exclaimed his father 
sharply. “ There is no one in the house capable 
of taking your money. You have either mis- 
laid it or taken it out and lost it out of your 
pocket. Anyhow, I’ll advance you the money 
and you’ll pay me back when you get some 
more cash. Have you any, Ronald ? ” 

“ I have three dollars and twenty-two cents, 
uncle,” answered the boy. 

“ And you are willing to give this ? ” inquired 
Mr. Manningham. 

“ Oh, yes, uncle I I’ll be so pleased,” cried 
the boy, his eyes glowing with pleasure. 

“And I’ve got two big dollars to give to the 
donkeys,” cried Teresa. 

They all had a good laugh at the idea of the 


THE FOURTH OF JULY lOI 

donkeys receiving the prizes and wearing a 
Waterman watch, and as soon as luncheon was 
over Ronald and the little one ran up to get 
their money and give it to the judge. 

At last the eventful day arrived and every one 
was up early, and busy helping with the deco- 
rations. Mrs. Manningham had her carriage 
and pair of black horses most tastefully deco- 
rated with the national colors, white Shasta 
daisies, scarlet geraniums and long sprays of 
deep blue larkspur, while from every available 
spot, little silken Stars and Stripes floated to 
the breeze, giving a singularly light and airy 
effect to the whole thing. 

“ YouVe a perfect artist in decoration, Lu- 
cile,’^ said her husband. “ Ifls really a shame 
you can^t get the prize, for yours will certainly 
be, by far, the most tastefully decked vehicle.^^ 

The children all drove down to Belsted in 
Mrs. Manningham^s carriage, for their ponies 
had been sent down to Belsted the day before in 
charge of the head coachman, who was to 
see that nothing was spared to make them fit to 
win the race. 


102 


RONALD'S MISSION 


The flower, fruit and poultry show was a very 
pretty one, and did great credit to the farmers 
and country people around, and the judges had 
some trouble in awarding the prizes, so equally 
good were many of the exhibits. At last, how- 
ever, they were all decided upon to the general 
satisfaction. Then the Manninghams and their 
friends adjourned to a large tent where a plen- 
tiful luncheon was served, while all the rest of 
the crowd either went home for a meal or 
settled down in merry picnicking parties under 
the trees. 

At half-past one sharp, a loud gong was 
sounded, and every one assembled for the 
games, which were carried out with intense 
energy and go in spite of the rather over- 
powering heat. After a short time the jumping 
match came on, and as Ronald was particularly 
careful not to exert himself, Lionel won it, and 
was not a little proud of himself in conse- 
quence. When it came to the shoe race, as 
the judge called it, there was a great amount of 
merriment, and the applause was tremendous, 
when quite a small, curly-headed little boy won 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 


103 


it triumphantly. He was by no means one of 
the fastest runners, but his rapidity in finding 
and lacing up his shoes fairly took one^s breath 
away. 

“He did it like a slash of lightning, didn't 
he ?” cried Teresa. 

“Yes, I wish your brother would take ex- 
ample of him," said nurse ; “ the dear lamb is 
the slowest ever at putting on his shoes." 

“ You don't mean to say," laughed Mr. Man- 
ningham, “ that you can actually find a fault in 
Lionel, nurse ? " 

“Oh, I'm not in the habit of accusing the 
poor child of a thousand things he wouldn't 
dream of doing, as some people are," answered 
nurse, sourly, “ but of course I know he must 
have his faults. Even ‘ the just man falls seven 
times a day,' saith the Bible." 

“Oh, well," laughed the judge, “if Lionel 
never did anything worse than being slow at 
lacing his shoes I'd forgive him easily. — Ah, 
this is going to be the old ladies' race. Now 
we'll have some fun." 

“ I should think so," laughed one of the ladies 


104 RONALD’S MISSION 

of their crowd. “Just look at the erection on 
that good old dame’s head, will you ! ” 

“ Well, it’s not much worse than many I’ve 
seen on fashionable ladies in town, it seems to 
me,” answered Mr. Manningham with a smile. 
“Still it certainly is a wonder. It makes me 
think of a hearse.” 

The fact was that, although all the other 
women were very simply dressed, this good 
soul had a most wondrous construction on her 
head. It was covered with several large, dan- 
gling black ostrich plumes, and a flowing veil 
was tied around it and hung in long streamers 
down her back. 

Soon the race began, and first one and then 
another candle went out, and its owner had to 
run back to the starting post ; but the old dame 
with the head-dress went on steadily and slowly, 
stooping a little over her precious candle to 
shield it from the breeze which had sprung up, 
and made this race a difficult one. 

“ The head-dress will win ! What will you bet 
on the head-dress ? ” laughed the judge, when, 
all of a sudden, a capricious gust of wind blew 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 


105 


the old lady’s streaming veil forward into the 
candle and in a second her whole head-dress was 
ablaze. With a wild shriek of terror, she 
dropped the candle and began to run about 
wildly, and she would certainly have been 
burned to death, had not a young girl, standing 
by dashed forward, dexterously thrown a heavy 
wrap over her head and almost instantly put 
out the flames. A great burst of applause suc- 
ceeded the screams and wild panic which the 
accident had caused, and that in its turn, was 
followed by an anxious hush when it was seen 
that both women were being hurried to the 
little ambulance Mr. Manningham had pro- 
vided in case of accident. 

Great was everybody’s relief when one of the 
judges announced through the megaphone that, 
thanks to the young girl’s prompt action, the 
old lady’s injuries were but slight and that her 
rescuer was unhurt but for a burn to her left 
hand. He added that the girl would soon be 
among them again and that he hoped they 
would give her an ovation to show their appre- 
ciation of her bravery. “ As for the candle 


I06 RONALD'S MISSION 

race," he continued, we think the first prize 
should be given to the injured woman, who 
would most certainly have won it but for this 
regrettable incident, and the second and third 
prizes can be raced for again." 

These remarks were greeted with loud shouts 
of applause and when the girl came back with 
her hand bandaged up, she was vigorously 
cheered and all the ladies crowded round to 
praise and congratulate her. 

The judges insisted on the games starting 
again at once and after a few more stunts, the 
men's baseball contest began and was watched 
with great interest and considerable excitement. 
As soon as that was over, it was time for the 
mounted races and the donkey race went off 
most successfully. To Teresa's great joy, a lit- 
tle girl won the first prize and came up to her 
to have ribbons pinned on to herself and her 
cute little gray donkey, while two little boys got 
the other prizes, with which they were highly 
delighted. 

Lionel had been nervous and restless all day 
and now he was more and more excited, first 


THE FOURTH OF JULY I07 

hoping that his accomplice had been successful 
in accomplishing his evil deed, then seized with 
a sudden panic at the thought that a bad acci- 
dent might result and that his father would per- 
haps discover he was the culprit. He hardly 
saw the donkey races nor did he notice that his 
father had been called away suddenly from the 
judges’ stand, and he turned crimson with 
terror when the megaphone again called for 
silence and it was announced that owing to a 
slight accident to one of the pony’s saddles, the 
boys’ race would not take place until after that 
of the men. 

Mr. Manningham on arriving at the stable, 
had found his coachman in a violent state of 
excitement, for he had just discovered that the 
saddle girth of the Red Prince had been all but 
cut through, leaving just enough to make it 
hold until some sudden movement of the rider 
would have made it snap. 

“ Great Scott, if I hadn’t ’a’ happened to find 
it out the little chap might have been killed,” 
exclaimed the coachman. “ I don’t know what 
made me think of putting my hand under the 


io8 


RONALD’S MISSION 


Red Prince as I did, but it was a mercy anyhow 
It must have been done while I was outa-watch- 
ing them donkey races, for I’d only just saddled 
the ponies before that.” 

“ Have you any idea who could have come 
into the stable ? ” 

“ Well, Jimmy there says he saw a shock- 
headed, red-haired youth a-prowling around a 
short time before and now he’s disappeared. 
Sounds as if it must have been that young 
blackguard, Sam, but I didn’t think he had any 
grudge on Master Ronald.” 

Mr. Manningham turned white, for an awful 
thought had 'occurred to him ; he remembered 
Lionel’s conversation with this boy and the dis- 
appearance of his five dollar bill. Could it be ? 
Oh, no ! It was impossible that his son could 
have thought of such a dastardly thing ! 

Ronald had two saddles, so an auto was im- 
mediately dispatched for the second, and soon 
after the men’s races were over, the Red Prince 
was once more ready for the race and the boys 
were called to the stables to mount on their 
steeds. The judge watche;d Lionel and noticed 


THE FOURTH OF JULY IO9 

him looking rather nervously in the direction 
of Ronaldos pony and redden to the roots of his 
hair when he caught his father's scrutinizing 
glance. 

One of their little friends was the present 
owner of Rosamund, and it was soon evident 
that the first prize would be won, either by her 
or by Red Prince. The race was a hardly 
contested one. At one time Rosamund was 
well ahead, then Red Prince caught her up, 
and for a time they ran neck to neck. At the 
second round Red Prince was ahead, to be 
again overtaken by Rosamund. The excite- 
ment was intense and Teresa fairly shrieked 
with excitement, as did most of their little 
friends and the country folk with whom Ronald 
was a great favorite. They all urged him on, 
wildly crying, ‘‘ Go it, Ronald. Hurrah for 
young Manningham. Three to one on the 
Red Prince." Others cried, “ Rosamund ! " 
“ Bravo for Rosamund," and they all shouted 
till they were hoarse. 

With wonderful skill for so young a lad 
Ronald had refrained from tiring out his pony 


no 


RONALD'S MISSION 


at first but now, when nearing the finish, he 
ui'ged him on to his utmost and in answer to his 
loved master’s wish, the pony dashed forward 
quickly, outdistanced the plucky little mare and 
won triumphantly, Rosamund coming in a very 
good second. A pretty little white pony called 
“Firefly” made an excellent third, while Lionel 
brought in the rear as eighth on Dobbin. 

Ronald’s success was greeted with vigorous 
applause and he was most heartily congratu- 
lated at the splendid way in which he had 
managed his horse. 

“ Of course Dobbin was never meant for a 
racing pony,” said Mrs. Manningham in a 
mortified voice ; “ still I must say I never saw 
Lionel ride so badly. The poor child can’t 
be well, I think.” 

When Ronald came up to receive his ribbons 
from the radiant Teresa there was a troubled 
look in his eyes and he said apologetically to 
his aunt : 

“ Oh, I’m so sorry Lionel didn’t win.” 

“Oh, well, that was his pony’s fault,” an- 
swered his aunt. “ Lionel won the jumping 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 


III 


match where his own dexterity came in. I’m 
glad it was you won this race, Ronald,” she 
added, noticing the half-shocked look of some 
of her friends at the harsh tone in which she 
had answered the child. 

When Ronald went back to the judges’ 
stand and dismounted to receive the beautiful 
silver cup offered as first prize by the Manning- 
hams, he blushed very deeply and said, looking 
rather timidly up at his uncle : 

“ Do you think I might offer this to that girl 
who saved the old woman from burning? 
You see I don’t really deserve anything be- 
cause I only just sat on the Red Prince while 
he raced, but she was so brave and risked get- 
ting badly burned to save some one from a 
dreadful death.” 

Mr. Manningham felt much moved at the 
boy’s proposal and turning to the other judges 
said : 

‘‘ What do you think of my nephew’s sug- 
gestion, gentlemen ? It strikes me it does the 
little fellow credit.” 

‘‘Yes, indeed,” they all cried. “Bravo for 


II2 


RONALD’S MISSION 


little Ronald Manningham. We’ll let every- 
body know of this,” and catching up the 
megaphone one of the judges called for silence 
and explained what the child wished to do with 
his prize. 

A perfect storm of applause greeted this 
announcement. There was a shout among his 
boy friends of ” Chair him, chair him,” and 
rushing down from the grand stand all his 
little comrades cried : “ Bravo for Ronald 
Manningham ! Three cheers for our Ronald,” 
and before he could defend himself they had 
lifted him up on their shoulders and were carry- 
ing him up and down the race-course while the 
crowd cheered him, frantically waving hand- 
kerchiefs and repeating again and again, 
“ Three cheers for Master Ronald.” 

Never had Ronald felt so confused in his life, 
and though he was delighted to see the tears 
of pleasure in the girl’s eyes when he was at 
last allowed to take her the cup, he very much 
wished his kind friends had not made such a 
fuss about what had seemed to him such a 
perfectly natural thing to do. 


THE FOURTH OF JULY II3 

‘‘ Ah, judge ! ” exclaimed one of the old farm- 
ers heartily, “ but Master Ronald is a chip off 
the old block, sure sakes. Wouldn’t your dad 
have been proud just, if he could ’a’ seed him 
a-managing his pony that clever like ? And the 
old madam I My, but it would have done her 
heart good to ’a’ seed him a-givin’ of his cup to 
that gal. He’s got his grannie’s eyes and he’s 
got her warm heart, too, God bless him ! ” 

‘‘ I’m sure it’s to be hoped Ronald will go in 
for politics when he grows up,” said his aunt 
rather satirically. “ He certainly has a genius 
for winning the masses. I suppose it’s be- 
cause ” she stopped suddenly and the judge 

quickly added : 

“ Because of his pleasant manners and quick 
sympathy with others.” 

“ Yes,” cried one of their lady friends, “ Ron- 
ald is a general favorite, because his is such a 
loving nature.” 

As soon as the last race was over one of the 
farmers came to ask the Manninghams and their 
guests to accompany him to the small building 
dignified by the name of ‘‘ Town Hall.” There 


RONALD’S MISSION 


II4 

a surprise awaited the judge and his wife, for 
the whole population had assembled to greet 
and cheer them, and a pretty little girl came 
forward to offer Mrs. Manningham a magnifi- 
cent bouquet. Then their own farmers and 
their wives formed into a group and escorted 
them inside the building where they presented 
them with a splendid silver tea set which they 
begged them to accept as a remembrance of this 
happy centenary day. The Manninghams were 
much touched at this mark of the good people’s 
esteem for them and thanked them most heartily 
for their valuable present and still more for the 
friendly feeling which had prompted them to 
give it. After much cheering and hand-shaking 
the Manninghams went back to their private 
tent to prepare for the banquet to which they 
cordially invited the whole crowd. 

A large, brilliantly lighted tent had been 
erected for the purpose and filled with long 
tables charmingly decorated with groups of 
fruit, flowers of the national colors and any 
amount of little flags. There were flags every- 
where, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling. 


THE FOURTH OF JULY II5 

dotted about the table-cloth, from the electric 
light fittings and on the table napkins, the name 
cards, the menus. It was the gayest, brightest 
sight imaginable. In a gallery at one end of 
the tent a band played all the well-known pa- 
triotic airs while numerous waiters passed among 
the guests, serving them a repast which was the 
talk of Belsted for years to come. It was a 
pleasure to see the good people^s enjoyment of 
it all, and towards the end of the banquet there 
were many speeches made and much cheering 
for the Manninghams and the children and a 
special mention of the two winners of prizes. 
Master Lionel and also Master Ronald, whose 
generosity in giving away his cup was alluded 
to with great effect by one of the old farmers 
who had tears in his eyes while speaking of it. 

The night was a perfectly magnificent one 
and the stars seemed to stand out in the deep 
blue sky like sparkling, flashing diamonds. The 
tent had become rather oppressively hot and 
overladen with the scent of flowers, so every one 
was glad to get out and sit about in groups 
awaiting the display of fireworks. The children 


Ii6 


RONALD’S MISSION 


soon become restless, however, and asked per- 
mission to wander about a little among the 
trees. 

‘‘ Yes, on condition you keep with either 
nurse or Miss Rouniss and don^t go near the 
race-course, because that is where they are pre- 
paring to let off the fireworks,” answered Mrs. 
Manningham. 

So Miss Rouniss began to saunter along in 
the other direction with the three children. 
Ronald was playing with little Teresa, who 
skipped and jumped about like a young bird, 
holding her cousin’s hand the while so as to be 
sure not to fall in the semi-darkness. Lionel 
soon became discontented and declared Teresa 
was too noisy and he’d go and walk with nurse ; 
so, without waiting for permission, he ran back 
towards the field where every one was sitting 
about. Nurse was only too glad that her ‘‘ sweet 
lamb ” should prefer her company to that of 
‘‘that stuck-up Miss Rouniss” and she and 
Lionel went off together under the trees. It 
was a long wait before the fireworks were ready 
and nurse’s conversation was not very amusing, 


THE FOURTH OF JULY II7 

SO after a time the child persuaded her to take 
him towards the judges’ stand, from whence the 
fireworks were to be started, and in spite of all 
her weak objections he insisted on going nearer 
and nearer and finally ran away from her say- 
ing he heard his father’s voice and wanted to 
speak to him. Just as he rushed forward, the 
first firework was let off with a tremendous 
bang, so close to him that it almost frightened 
him to death and he uttered the most unearthly 
shrieks. The judge sprang towards him, dread- 
fully alarmed lest he should have got seriously 
injured ; and from all around people came run- 
ning to see what had happened. If he had been 
but a few yards nearer, the child might have 
been blinded or even killed, but fortunately he 
had only got a good scare, which he richly 
deserved for his disobedience ; and besides a 
severe reproof from his father, he had the morti- 
fication of being made fun of by the other 
boys for his inquisitiveness and his timidity. 
All the rest of the evening, therefore, he was 
glad to sit close by his mother’s side, where 
he had a good view of the really charming 


Il8 RONALD'S MISSION 

fireworks and where he was safe from the teas- 
ing of their little companions. But what pun- 
ished him most of ail, perhaps, was to hear that 
during his tedious time with nurse the others 
had had a most delightful experience, for they 
had been with Miss Rouniss to call on Mrs. 
Browne, the good old soul who was slightly 
burned that afternoon. Mrs. Manningham had 
asked them to take her a beautiful basket of 
choice fruit and the old lady had been much 
touched at being thus remembered, and proud 
to show them her neat little home which seemed 
to them quite like a museum, so full was it of 
quaint little knickknacks of all sorts. She ex- 
plained to them that her son, now happily mar- 
ried and settled in town, had been a sailor for 
many years and had brought her all these curios 
from foreign parts. She had insisted on giving 
Teresa a pretty sandal- wood fan which he had 
brought from China, and she had also given 
Ronald a beautiful little model of one of the old- 
fashioned, three-masted ships all in full sail, 
which filled Lionel with envy when he saw it. 

What they did not tell him was that while 


THE FOURTH OF JULY II9 

looking about at all the pretty things Ronaldos 
sharp eyes had noticed a Crucifix, medal, and 
several pictures of Our Lady, and he had 
eagerly asked Mrs. Browne if she were not a 
Catholic, and on her answering in the affirma- 
tive had expressed his astonishment at never 
having met her in church. She explained rather 
shamefacedly that she had been very careless 
of late, and had pretty nigh given up going to 
church ; then seeing the shocked look on the 
child^s face she had promised that she would 
attend Mass the very first Sunday she was fit to 
go out again and had further decided that she 
would go ‘‘ regular again in future, for, as 
Miss Rouniss reminded her, that afternoon^s 
scare showed that we ought always to be pre- 
pared to die at any minute. Ronald and the 
kind governess were doubly happy to think 
that by their visit they had thus been able to 
encourage Mrs. Browne to become a practical 
Catholic once more, and their hearts were full 
of peace and joy as they watched the pretty 
fireworks and the delight of the eager crowd. 

The day was to wind up by a ball in the ban- 


120 


RONALDOS MISSION 


queting tent which had been cleared in the 
meanwhile, and the children were allowed to 
have a dance or two before driving home with 
Miss Rouniss and nurse. Ronald gave pleas- 
ure by dancing with two of the little country 
girls, while Lionel, who thought this beneath 
him, invited children from their own set whom 
he might have danced with any day. 

Two members of the family slept but little 
that night. One was Lionel, who cried to think 
of Ronaldos triumph, which was so different to 
what he had hoped to bring about. He was 
furious to think that Sam had failed him after 
taking his five dollars, and he determined to 
reproach him with not having fulfilled his part 
of the bargain. But Sam was aware that he 
had been seen about the stable and he knew 
better than to remain in that part of the country , 
How was it, Lionel wondered, that Sam’s crafti- 
ness, in which he had so much faith, had failed ? 
The child did not realize that a great and good 
God watches over His faithful children, that 
Our Lady had doubtless been protecting her 
faithful little servant and that against such pro- 


THE FOURTH OF JULY 12 1 

tectors the craftiness of man is powerless. As 
for Mr. Manningham, he was harassed by the 
thought that his son was in some way mixed up 
in the dastardly attempt to cause Ronald an 
accident. He drove the idea from him with 
horror, still he couldn^t help comparing the two 
boys — one so fearless, truthful, unselfish ; the 
other — ah, so different ! What was the reason ? 
And conscience answered sternly, “Is it not 
Ronald's faith? That faith that you basely 
forsook and of which you have so unjustly de- 
prived your children 1 " And the worldly man 
groaned as he recollected that his son was not 
the only one in the family who had lacked 
moral courage. 

After these events Lionel hated horses more 
than ever and pretended that riding gave him 
a pain in his back, so his mother insisted on its 
being given up for a time. Poor Ronald was 
thus almost entirely deprived of one of his 
greatest pleasures, for now he could scarcely 
ever go out on Red Prince except when some 
of their little friends invited him to join a riding 
party. 


VIII 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 

One day Mrs. Manningham had arranged 
to give a great picnic in honor of Teresa’s 
birthday and a large number of little friends 
had been invited. Three large sightseeing 
automobiles had been engaged for the occasion 
and a very merry party was driven far out of 
the city to a farm belonging to the Manning- 
hams. It was situated in a very beautiful part 
of the country and through it flowed a cool, 
placid stream, where the guests were to enjoy 
boating and fishing after having partaken of 
the sumptuous repast that had been provided 
for them. 

It was, indeed, an ideal spot for such an ex- 
cursion and every one would have enjoyed the 
day to the full if it had not been for Lionel. 
He was perfectly devoured with jealousy at 
seeing Ronald’s popularity with the other chil- 


122 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 


123 


dren and was sullen and dissatisfied with every- 
thing. When it came to the time for fishing, 
he became so unpleasant that he bid fair to 
spoil every one’s chance of catching anything. 
He quarreled over the fishing-rods, the bait, 
the place by the river, he complained that he 
wasn’t considered in anything, he talked and 
shouted and in order to get a better place 
pushed this one and that one aside at the risk 
of knocking them into the water. Altogether 
he behaved so badly that his father, who had 
taken charge of the fishing party, lost all pa- 
tience with him and declared that each one 
should have the fishing-rod and place on the 
bank which he assigned him, and that the first 
who talked or made a noise should be sent 
back to the farm half a mile off where the ladies 
were resting in the shady orchard. For about 
a quarter of an hour there was peace and sev- 
eral fine fish were caught. Then Ronald, whom 
his uncle had settled on a little promontory in 
charge of Teresa, succeeded in helping her to 
land quite a fine trout and Lionel, who had 
taken nothing, for he was never still a minute, 


124 


RONALD'S MISSION 


burst out into a storm of passionate reproaches 
to his father, saying that he had given Ronald 
the best place and dumped him, Lionel, just 
where there was no fish to be caught ; that he 
wouldn't stand it, that he'd tell his mother and 
so on and so forth. He stamped and screamed 
with rage while his little guests looked at him 
with amazement until his father took him by the 
shoulder and said sternly : 

“ Lionel, go back to the farm at once and tell 
your mother what you like. I too shall have 
something to tell her. I'm ashamed that a son 
of mine should behave like this. Go at once," 
he added, as Lionel looked at him in perfect 
amazement, not believing he really could mean 
what he said, ‘‘ and mind you do not go through 
the enclosed meadow, for the bull is there and 
he is a savage one. If you keep to the open 
road nothing can happen to you." 

“ Shall I go with him, uncle?" asked Ronald, 
always anxious to be helpful. 

‘‘ No, stay where you are. A big boy like 
Lionel can surely go half a mile by himself. At 
his age I considered myself a man, not a baby. 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 1 25 

Mind you don^t go in the meadow where the 
bull is ; that’ s all,” he added as Lionel finally 
started towards the farm. 

It would be hard to describe the turmoil of 
anger, hatred and longing for revenge that 
filled Lionel’s heart as he left the fishing party 
and turned to go towards the farm. He had 
been scolded, punished, deprived of his pleasure, 
publicly disgraced by his father and that before 
all his little friends. It was all through Ronald ; 
everybody loved Ronald, everybody was unjust 
to him because of Ronald who pretended to be 
his friend and who was a sneak, a pauper, a 
half-breed Indian beggar, nurse said so. Oh, 
he hated him ; he wished he could kill him and 
he hated his father for being so unjust. He 
would go and complain to his mother ; he would 
plan with nurse some way to punish Ronald and 
have him turned out of the house. With 
clenched fists and face crimson with anger the 
little boy was anything but pleasant to look 
upon. He was rather stout and stumpily built 
and he still wore his fair hair in longish curls 
which made him look rather like a florid, fat- 


126 


RONALD’S MISSION 


faced little girl at the best of times. Just now 
he looked almost fiendish, so distorted were his 
features by hatred and malice. 

He had just reached the enti'ance of the en- 
closed meadow lying at his left, while before 
him stretched the long, dusty, sunny, country 
road, and for a moment he hesitated. His father 
had forbidden him to go through the meadow, 
but that was only the greater reason for his 
wishing to do so, for he felt in revolt against 
his father and longed to disobey him. Still, 
Lionel was a coward and the thought of facing 
an angry bull is enough to make even a brave 
man hesitate. He was afraid, yet what did he 
care ? If he were killed what a punishment it 
would be to his father ! How his mother would 
reproach him for having caused her darling’s 
death ! How she would weep and mourn for 
him ! The boy made two or three steps for- 
ward and hesitated. It would be very un- 
pleasant to be gored by a bull — and then he 
couldn’t be revenged on Ronald — perhaps he 
had better go by the road. 

With a sigh, he began walking along it, but 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 


127 


it was so dusty, so oppressively hot, the meadow 
looked so cool 1 If he slunk along close by the 
hedge, perhaps the bull might not see him at all ! 
Perhaps he was asleep or not even in the 
meadow ! Indeed, it was quite likely that his 
father had only said that to prevent him from 
making this short pleasant cut to the or- 
chard which lay just the other side of it. Pie 
would go and sit on the gate and peep round 
the hedge to see if there really was any bull 
there. 

Beside the river all his little guests had gone 
back to their fishing and all but Ronald were 
much relieved to be rid of Lionel and his 
tempers and noise. Try as he would, however, 
our little friend could not shake oflf the feeling 
of sorrow and anxiety that lay heavy on his 
heart at seeing his cousin punished. Not only 
did he foresee that he would suffer himself in 
consequence of Lionel’s humiliation, but forgiv- 
ing and tender hearted as he was, he felt really 
sorry for his cousin and not a little anxious as 
to his safety. After a few minutes he went up 
to his uncle and said entreatingly : 


128 


RONALD’S MISSION 


" Mayn’t I go after Lionel, uncle, and tell him 
you forgive him ? ” 

“ No, Ronald, I am determined he shall not 
spoil every one’s pleasure and he deserves his 
punishment. Stay where you are and take care 
of Teresa.” 

“ Then mayn’t I send Nettle after him ? 
She’d see that nothing happened to him.” 

” I don’t see what could happen, but you can 
send Nettle if she will go,” answered his uncle 
and, as he looked at the child’s earnestly 
anxious face, he wondered how the little fellow 
could feel so kindly towards one who was al- 
ways showing him so much spite and aversion. 
Then with a pang of remorse his conscience 
answered, “ Is it not Ronald’s faith which 
makes all the difference between the two boys ? ” 

At first Nettle did not wish to leave Ronald 
and Teresa, and it was with great trouble that 
the boy finally sent her after her little master 
by cries of “ Go to Lionel, Nettle, good dog, 
fetch Lionel.” 

Meanwhile Lionel had not only peeped over 
the gate but opened it and stepped in, ready to 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 1 29 

bolt at the very slightest movement from the 
bull. Yes, he was in the meadow fast enough, 
but right over the other side of it, standing 
under a great shady walnut tree with his back 
to the little boy. He didn^t seem to be asleep, 
though, for he lashed his tail slowly to drive the 
flies away ; still he couldn’t see with the back of 
his head, and Lionel could go very softly along 
the hedge. Even if the bull did see him before 
he was all the way through, the field was not 
very wide and Lionel was a fast runner. So, 
leaving the gate open behind him, the child 
crept as noiselessly as he could along the 
hedge, and the bull remained so still that he 
thought triumphantly that he would get through 
all right, and could then boast of his prowess in 
having dared the savage beast. He had crept 
just about half-way across the field when the 
bull suddenly turned round and, with a deafen- 
ing bellow, charged full gallop upon the in- 
truder. Wild with fear Lionel yelled with all 
his might, while frantically attempting to reach 
the other gate. But his legs felt like lead ; the 
bull was gaining upon him. The child felt 


130 RONALD’S MISSION 

himself lost ; he seemed already to feel those 
fearful horns goring him, those pounding hoofs 
crushing him to death. Oh, why had he dis- 
obeyed his father? Would he ever reach the 
other gate ? It seemed to get further instead of 
nearer, and the bull had almost reached him 
when there was a frantic barking, and brave 
Nettle came tearing to the rescue of her little 
master, fearlessly running between him and the 
infuriated animal. Instantly the bull left the 
child to charge upon the insolent creature who 
dared thus to defy him, and clever little Nettle, 
rushing like the wind, led him to the other end 
of the field, dodged him hither and thither 
until she felt her little master was in safety, then 
escaped through a hole in the hedge. 

The ladies, attracted by Lionel’s screams, 
had run to the orchard gate of the meadow 
just in time to see the bull close upon him, and 
feel with agony that they were powerless to 
save the child. When they saw that Nettle 
had attracted the bull to the other side they 
opened their gate and dragged the boy to 
safety, then waited in breathless suspense to 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 131 

know the fate of their favorite. Need I say 
with what joy and w^hat endearments the faith- 
ful little dog was received, and how thankful 
they all felt to her for her cleverness and 
bravery. 

“ But how came you to be in the meadow 
and alone, Lionel?” exclaimed his mother. 

‘‘ Father was very unkind ; he sent me back to 
you,” said Lionel, bursting into tears, and then 
he gave a very garbled account of what had 
happened. 

“ But didn^t your father warn you that the 
bull was in the meadow ? ” she inquired. 

‘‘ Oh, no,” exclaimed Lionel, eager to justify 
himself, “he did nothing but scold me.” 

“ Still you should have remembered that the 
bull is nearly always kept there. It was foolish 
of you, my poor darling. Oh, what an escape 
you have had ! ” 

But the consequences of Lionels foolishness 
did not end there. As you will remember, he 
had left the first gate open, and the maddened 
bull, baulked of his two intended victims, rushed 
hither and thither, till coming to the open gate 


132 . 


RONALD’S MISSION 


he discovered he was free. With a mighty 
bellow he dashed down the road towards the 
river, and in a few minutes arrived like a whirl- 
wind within sight of the merry party so busily 
fishing. A farm laborer working near by saw 
the children’s danger, and rushed forward with 
his pitchfork in an attempt to stop the bull and 
drive it in another direction. A minute later 
the animal had tossed him in the air, and was 
rushing forward to gore him to death where he 
had fallen, within a short distance of the terri- 
fied children whom the bull was facing. Mr. 
Manningham had his gun with him, and stepped 
quickly between the dangerous beast and the 
children. He was afraid to shoot, however, as 
the bull and man seemed so mixed up that he 
dreaded to kill the brave laborer. All the 
children had fled in wild panic, all but Ronald 
who, after having helped Teresa to scramble up 
among the strong limbs of a great oak tree, 
had seized a stone and come to stand beside his 
uncle, determined to help him if possible. Just 
as the bull was about to lower his head the 
second time, Ronald flung his stone and hit 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 133 

him squarely between the horns. The blow was 
so stunning that the animal reeled to one side, 
and Mr. Manningham, seizing his opportunity, 
finished him with a well aimed bullet. 

To every one^s intense relief it was found 
that the laborer's injuries were much slighter 
than might have been expected. Some of the 
men servants fortunately drove up just then in 
one of the autos and the wounded man was 
placed in it and sent off to the hospital with a 
few lines from the judge begging that every 
possible attention and care should be bestowed 
upon him. 

With some trouble Mr. Manningham then 
collected the frightened children, some of whom 
had run away a considerable distance, whilst 
others had climbed up into trees. The judge 
was very pale and there were lines of deep 
anxiety on his face, for he knew that so77ie one 
must have let the bull out of the field and did 
not doubt but that it must be Lionel. If so, 
what might not have happened to his only 
son ? Hurrying on he went with beating heart 
to the meadow and through to the orchard 


134 


RONALD'S MISSION 


where to his intense relief he saw Lionel being 
petted and fondled by his mother. 

When Mrs. Manningham heard of the terrible 
accident which had resulted from Lionel's care- 
lessness and disobedience, she was at first 
greatly shocked, then wishing to justify her 
son she exclaimed : 

But why didn't you remind the poor child 
that there was a bull in the field, George ? 
Lionel says you never mentioned it." 

‘‘Never mentioned it!" exclaimed Mr. Man- 
ningham indignantly. “ Children, what was the 
last thing I told Lionel when I sent him back 
to the farm ? " 

“ You told him not to go through the meadow 
because the bull was there and he was a savage 
one ; you told him so twice," they all exclaimed 
in chorus. 

“I — I didn't understand — I didn’t remember," 
stammered Lionel, and his mother continued 
indignantly : 

“ It was no wonder he forgot, poor darling, 
when you deprived him of his fishing and sent 
him away from our little guests just because he 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW I35 

complained because Ronald was always taunt- 
ing him for not catching any fish.” 

‘‘ But Ronald never said a word to him 
about it,” exclaimed the children. “ He was 
busy with little Teresa and wasnT even near 
Lionel.” 

How many more falsehoods have you been 
telling, I wonder? ” said Mr. Manningham, look- 
ing angrily at his son. ‘‘You are the first 
Manningham that ever deserved to be called a 
liar. As to Ronald, whom you so falsely ac- 
cuse, it is thanks to him that you were not 
gored by the bull. He first entreated me to 
forgive you, or at least let him go with you ; 
and when I refused, he asked permission to 
send Nettle after you, saying she’d see that 
nothing happened to you.” 

“I expect that Nettle would have followed 
Lionel anyhow,” said Mrs. Manningham, icily. 

“ No, Ronald had quite a trouble in getting 
her to go,” cried one of the boys. “ She wanted 
to stay with Teresa. And do you know, Mrs. 
Manningham, it was partly Roland who saved 
that man from the bull by flinging a rock at its 


136 


RONALD’S MISSION 


head. He’s a first rate thrower, is Ronald, 
and he made me think of David killing the 
giant ; he looked so plucky there standing 
by Mr. Manningham and facing that great 
angry bull. He has plenty of pluck, Ronald 
has.” 

“ Ronald seems to have been quite the hero 
of the hour,” said his aunt with an uncomforta- 
ble laugh. “ Anyhow, I am thankful dear 
Lionel was not hurt, though I am very sorry 
your fun was interrupted in such an unpleasant 
way, you poor children.” 

“I’m most sorry for that poor man,” cried 
one of the little girls. “ Oh, I do hope he 
won’t die, don’t you ? ” 

To create a diversion and calm every one’s 
overwrought nerves, the judge proposed they 
should now go for a trip on the river in some 
of the steam launches which had been hired for 
the purpose. All the children tried to make 
merry and forget the dreadful scene they had 
witnessed, but it was impossible to drive away 
the recollection of it or the feeling of awe and 
terror it had left on their minds, and it was 


THE ENCLOSED MEADOW 137 

almost a relief when the time came for them to 
drive back to town. 

On reaching home Mr. Manningham sternly 
ordered Lionel to follow him to his room and 
when his wife clung to his arm entreating him 
not to be hard on the child he pushed her away 
almost roughly, saying : 

‘‘ I find it is high time I took a hand in the 
upbringing of my son if I don’t wish him to be 
a perfect disgrace to us. You have left him 
to the care of an ignorant, unprincipled woman 
who is making a perfect cad of him. It is bad 
enough that all those children should go back 
and tell our friends of his disgraceful conduct 
to-day. I mean to cure him of lying anyhow 
or he shall be no son of mine.” 

And for the first time in his life Lionel got a 
sound thrashing from his father with the promise 
that the next time he was found to have lied 
he would be sent off to boarding-school. 

All this had still more soured Lionel and his 
nurse against Ronald. They were specially 
disgusted to find that since that day his aunt 
had become much gentler and more affable to 


138 


RONALD’S MISSION 


the little orphan, who repaid her kindness by a 
quite pathetic devotion, being ever on the 
lookout to wait on her or please her in every 
possible way. 


IX 


A NEW FRIEND 

Just about this time the Manningham house- 
hold was in great excitement preparing for the 
reception of Sir Sydney Grantham, one of the 
foremost politicians and most noted men of 
Canada. He had been a great friend of old 
Mr. Manningham’s, though far younger than 
he was, and had known both his sons well in 
their boyhood. It was now many years, how- 
ever, since he had visited the United States and 
the judge and his wife felt it a great honor to 
entertain so celebrated and important a guest. 

On the eve of the day on which Sir Sydney 
was expected, nurse had taken the children out 
for a walk and they were some distance from 
home when Lionel began to accuse Ronald of 
cheating over a game they were playing at as 
they walked along. Ronald indignantly denied 
having done so, and Teresa took his part, which 
139 


140 RONALD’S MISSION 

angered Lionel still more. Feeling safely out 
of his parents’ hearing he began to abuse 
Ronald as he often did, calling him a stuck up 
pauper, a sneak, and a liar, and finally adding, 
“ And your mother was nothing but an Indian 
squaw, so you needn’t give yourself such airs.” 

“ She wasn’t anything of the kind,” answered 
Ronald, white with rage. “How dare you 
speak so of my mother?” 

“She was a low comedy actress anyhow,” 
said nurse spitefully, “ and so you’d better hold 
your tongue. Master Ronald.” 

“ She wasn’t that either, and you’ve no right 
to say such untruths about her as you do,” 
cried Ronald, beside himself with passion. 

“ There I That’s for you,” cried Lionel giv- 
ing him a sounding slap in the face. “You 
cheeky beggar, to call my dear nursey a liar.” 

Ronald staggered under the blow and was 
raising his hand as if about to strike his cousin 
in return when little Teresa caught hold of it 
and put herself between the two boys. Just 
then a quiet looking elderly man dressed in a 
plain suit of gray, and carrying a small valise 


A NEW FRIEND 


I4I 

in his hand, stepped out from among a clump 
of trees and going straight up to Ronald asked 
him in a gentle voice if he could tell him the 
way to Judge Manningham’s house. Quickly 
whipping off his cap, Ronald answered him 
politely, indicating two ways that he might 
take, one the longer and easier one along the 
road, the other a short cut up a steep knoll. 

“ But if you’re a peddler or one of them solicit- 
ing men there’s no use in your going up to the 
house,” snapped out the nurse. “Judge Man- 
ningham is too busy these days to be bothered 
w'ith the likes of you.” 

The old man looked her up and down with a 
slightly scornful curve of his lip. “ I’m much 
obliged for your information, my good woman, 
but I have every reason to believe Judge Man- 
ningham will be glad to receive me. Thank 
you for telling me the way, my child,” he added 
pleasantly to Ronald, as he took the shorter 
path indicated. 

“ The old hound ! to speak to me in that 
patronizing way,” exclaimed nurse, before he 
was well out of hearing. “ It’s just like your 


142 


RONALD’S MISSION 


interfering ways to tell him the short cut,” she 
added crossly to Ronald. “ He may be a 
burglar for anything you know.” 

“ The cheek of the old wretch to call you 
‘ my good woman,’ ” cried Lionel shaking his 
fist and putting out his tongue at the receding 
figure just as the stranger turned round to 
look back at them. 

“ Oh, Lionel, you shouldn’t,” cried Ronald. 
“ I’m sure he’s quite a gentleman. What will 
he think of you ? ” 

“ A fine idea for you to be preaching to Lionel 
as to behavior,” cried nurse. “ Hold your 
tongue or I’ll box your ears for you.” 

When they got home, however, both nurse 
and Lionel were petrified to hear that the quiet 
man in gray was no other than the great Sir 
Sydney Grantham, who had chosen to come 
incognito in order to avoid any demonstrations 
on his way, and had walked up to the house to 
get a breath of air after his long railway journey, 
judge and Mrs. Manningham were profuse in 
their attentions to their illustrious guest and 
very arixious he should be favorably impressed 


A NEW FRIEND 


143 


■with everything. It had at first been intended 
that the children should dine apart but Sir 
Sydney accidentally heard of this and specially 
requested that it should not be so as he was 
particularly fond of children. 

To Mrs. Manningham’s great surprise he 
took hardly any notice of Lionel who was most 
— to her — unaccountably shy with him, but he 
was charmed with Teresa and quite made a 
point of noticing Ronald. In the course of the 
conversation Sir Sydney mentioned La Valirie 
and Ronald exclaimed eagerly, “ Oh, do you 
know La Valirie ? ” 

“ Why, rather ! ” said the great man with a 
smile ; “ that is my home. Were you ever at 
La Valirie, my boy ? ” 

“ Oh, no, sir ! ” said Ronald, blushing furi- 
ously, “ but I knew somebody who — who came 
from there.” 

“You did? And what was their name? 
Perhaps it is a friend of mine,” said Sir Sydney. 

“ Leroy d’Arbaumont,” murmured Ronald, 
hanging his head as if afraid of being reproved 
for mentioning it. 


144 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ You know some of the Leroy d’Arbau- 
monts ! ” exclaimed the old gentleman, eagerly. 
“Well then, let me congratulate you on your 
friends, my lad, for the Leroy d’Arbaumonts 
are among the oldest, noblest and most dis- 
tinguished families of Canada. I did not know 
there were any of them still living, except a 
daughter. Yvon Leroy d’Arbaumont, the last 
of the direct line, was my dearest friend and a 
more charming and intellectual man never 
lived. He belonged to one of the most distin- 
guished of the old French nobility and his real 
name was Yvon Leroy, Marquis d’Arbaumont, 
but he was simplicity itself and never would use 
his title. His only daughter, Gabrielle, was a 
pearl among women, beautiful, accomplished 
and a perfect little saint. To my great sorrow, 
I lost sight of her after her father’s death, but 
she has ever remained on my mind as the type 
of the ideal woman. Why, what’s the matter, 
child ? ” he added, as Ronald’s eyes filled with 
tears. 

“ Gabrielle Leroy d’Arbaumont was his 
mother,” said Mr. Manningham in a low voice. 


A NEW FRIEND 145 

and her death is still a very recent sorrow to 
Ronald, so you must excuse him/^ 

“ Excuse him ! I should think so, poor child. 
Do you mean to tell me,’’ added Sir Sydney in 
a moved voice, ‘‘ that Gabrielle d’Arbaumont is 
dead and that this is her child ? I might have 
known what there was in his face that so at- 
tracted me. Ah, Ronald, my boy, you may 
well be proud of your mother and her family. 
And I can well understand your grief at losing 
so sweet a mother. The hope of finding her 
was one of my chief reasons for coming to the 
States and I am grieved beyond words to hear 
that I am too late.” 

“ All this is indeed news to us,” said Mr. 
Manningham rather apologetically. “ We had 
no idea of the late Mrs. Manningham’s high 
lineage. Indeed I never knew that her name 
was Leroy d’Arbaumont until I saw some papers 
after her death. We always thought that my 
brother had rather disgraced his family by 
marrying a singer who went by the name of 
Julia Morrell.” 

“ A singer ? Yes, I heard that Gabrielle 


146 


RONALD’S MISSION 


d’Arbaumont had sung, though under an as- 
sumed name, but a more perfect lady never 
stepped on this earth ; and if she took to sing- 
ing it was only out of the noble courage and 
pride of her character. Had she been willing to 
accept help, even from an old friend of her 
father’s, Gabrielle d’Arbaumont need never 
have earned her livelihood.” 

“ Still it is evident,” said Mrs. Manningham 
rather sarcastically, “ that the d’Arbaumonts’ 
high lineage had not procured them much 
worldly goods or position. I’ve heard they 
were as poor as Job.” 

“ Poor ! ” exclaimed Sir Sydney. “ And 
pray, Mrs. Manningham, is poverty any dis- 
grace ? Wouldn’t you sooner be the daugh- 
ter of a family of high lineage, even though 
poor, than an heiress to wealth dishonorably 
gained ? And besides, the d’Arbaumonts had 
both wealth and position when I first knew 
them. Do you wish to know how they lost it 
and fell into poverty ? It is but another title to 
one’s admiration and love. Gabrielle d’Arbau- 
mont had been raised in wealth and luxury and 


A NEW FRIEND 


147 


though she had lost her mother very early, she 
had never missed her loving care, for Leroy 
d’Arbaumont was both mother and father to his 
idolized daughter. When she was about seven- 
teen her father found that he had been cruelly 
duped by a so-called friend of his. This friend 
had got him to sign his name as security for the 
payment of a very large sum of money he 
owed, assuring him that it was a mere formality, 
and that he had plenty of money coming in 
very soon and could besides give a large and 
beautiful estate as security. Just when the bill 
was due the ‘ friend * disappeared and the es- 
tate turned out to have been already sold by him. 
The payment of this large sum meant ruin to 
d^Arbaumont, and I was overjoyed when I dis- 
covered that by a flaw in the document he could 
get out of doing so. To my astonishment he 
absolutely refused to take advantage of this error, 
saying that he would be ruining innocent people 
and that a d^Arbaumont had never yet been 
faithless to his word and that he was not going to 
be the first one to bring disgrace on the name 
that had been an unspotted one for centuries. 


148 RONALD’S MISSION 

“ I argued with him, trying to show him that 
by his exaggerated sense of honor he was ruin- 
ing his daughter’s life, but she upheld him and 
said she would sooner live in abject poverty 
than think that her father had done anything 
unworthy of his honor. Troubles came thick 
and fast upon them after this. A bank in 
which the remainder of d’Arbaumont’s fortune 
had been placed closed its doors and the poor 
fellow was so thunderstruck by this second loss 
that he had a stroke and died a few days later, 
after having received the Sacraments with great 
faith and resignation. I was away on the 
continent at the time but wrote at once, eagerly 
offering to do all in my power for Gabrielle, but 
she was determined to work for her living 
sooner than accept help, and, in her desire to 
shield the name — she was so proud of — from any 
possible slur, she sang under an assumed name, 
and that is how I happened to lose track of her. 
Poor sweet Gabrielle ! I little thought she was 
dead and that I should so unexpectedly meet 
her child, and in circumstances which were pain- 
ful to both of us.” 


A NEW FRIEND 


149 


“ Indeed ! I am most grieved to think he 
should have annoyed you/’ began Mrs. Man- 
ningham. 

“ Ronald ? No, nothing could have been 
more courteous or well bred than his behavior 

to me, but there were others However, I 

do not wish to speak about this now,^’ added Sir 
Sydney who dexterously brought the conversa- 
tion on to other subjects. 

When he had retired to the library with 
Judge Manningham, however, he told him the 
whole story, adding : ‘‘ Of course I do not 
mention this because I wish to complain of the 
way I was treated. The insolence of a child 
and nursemaid is quite indifferent to me, but I 
think it is only right you should know how your 
son is encouraged to behave, Manningham, and 
how cruelly your nephew is treated. When I 
think that Gabrielle d^Arbaumont^s son is 
taunted with being the son of a squaw and of a 
low comedy actress, it makes my blood boil, 
and the look of pain in that child^s face I can 
never forget.’’ 

“I shall see that it never happens again,” said 


150 


RONALD’S MISSION 


Judge Manningham passionately. “ I will give 
you my word for that. Ronald should have 
told me ” — he began, then he added with a sigh, 
— “ yet I suppose he could not well do so. 
There have been many misunderstandings 
about that child but I shall see that he is better 
treated in future. Personally, I am deeply at- 
tached to him and I hope he knows it.” 

As soon as his guest had retired to his room, 
Judge Manningham hurried to his wife’s bou- 
doir, and for the first time since their marriage 
she was thoroughly scared by his anger, and 
felt that in future he meant to exert some 
authority in his household and specially over 
his son. Mrs. Manningham in her turn vented 
her humiliation and anger upon nurse, declaring 
that the very next time she heard of such 
behavior she would send her out of the house. 

“ Ronald — that accursed little idolater — it’s 
all his fault — he’ll win his way here in spite of 
me,” said nurse to herself as she cried with rage 
and mortification that night. “ But I’ll conquer 
yet. I’ll drive away this worshipper of idols 
and tool of the evil one, see if I don’t.” 


A NEW FRIEND 


I5I 

Lionel had also been angrily reproved both 
by his father and mother, and his jealousy of 
Ronald, constantly fanned by nurse's spiteful 
words, did but increase. He was specially 
furious to see how much notice Mrs. Manning- 
ham now took of Ronald, and his blood boiled 
when he heard her saying to her friends with 
evident pride : 

“ Sir Sydney Grantham has been so pleased 
to meet my nephew, the grandson of his old 
friend, the Marquis d'Arbaumont. He has 
taken quite a fancy to our Ronald." 

This last remark was perfectly true, and Sir 
Sydney missed no opportunity of making much 
of the child of his old friend. One day when he 
was going out riding he asked if he might take 
Ronald out with him for the afternoon. “ For I 
want him to tell me all he can about his 
mother," he added. 

At first Ronald was very reticent, but Sir 
Sydney was an experienced diplomat, and in 
spite of the boy's desire not to complain, he 
drew from him a pretty complete account not 
only of his life in the humble little bungalow 


152 


RONALD’S MISSION 


with his mother, but of his position in his 
uncle’s household. Father Malden, whom Sir 
Sydney went to interview on the subject, was 
able to tell him much more, and the result of all 
his inquiries was that (a few days before his 
departure) Sir Sydney said to the judge : 

“ Manningham, you’ve got a wife and two 
children, and I am a lonely old man. There 
never was but one woman in the world for me 
and she was Gabrielle d’Arbaumont ; but I 
always felt that I was too old a man to expect a 
sweet young thing like her to marry me. Still, 
she will be queen of my heart as long as I live, 
and there is nothing in the world I should like 
so much as to adopt her son. I am a wealthy 
man, and I could give Ronald every advantage ; 
besides which, I am of his faith, and could 
bring him up as his mother would have wished 
him to be trained. He is only here on suffer- 
ance. Give him to me, won’t you ? ” 

Judge Manningham felt both distressed and 
puzzled as to how to answer. On the one hand 
this was evidently a splendid offer so far as 
Ronald was concerned ; on the other hand 


A NEW FRIEND 


153 


he had become much attached to the boy, 
though he showed it but little, and he hated to 
part with him. 

After much discussion it was decided that Sir 
Sydney should propose this to Ronald that 
afternoon, and that the decision should be left to 
the little fellow himself. 

When Sir Sydney made him understand what 
he was offering him, Ronald flushed with pleas- 
ure, and his eyes filled with tears of joy and 
gratitude as he fell into his old friend^s arms 
exclaiming, “ Oh, I shall be so happy with you ! 
Thank you, thank you so much 1 ” Then sud- 
denly his face fell, a look of deep sorrow came 
into the brown eyes and he said sadly, ‘‘ I should 
so have loved to be your boy, but when I think 
about it I don’t see how I can just now. You 
know father and mother left me that mission — 
and though I can’t think how I ever shall be 
able to bring uncle back to the faith, still he did 
say his prayers with me once, you know, and 
I’m afraid it is my duty to stay and try ; isn’t 
it? I can’t break my work to mother, can I? 
She asked me to live here for a year and I 


154 


RONALD’S MISSION 


gave my word that I would. I am here only 
eight months.” 

Sir Sydney looked distressed, and his bitter 
disappointment made it difficult for him to 
answer at once, but after thinking and talking it 
over with the child he said at last : 

“I’m afraid you must stay out the year at 
least, Ronald. Then, if you continue to be 
unhappy and to feel your presence is useless to 
your uncle, come to me. In any case you will 
know that you always have a true and loving 
friend, my boy, one who for your mother’s sake 
will always love you as a son. If at any time 
you need help or sympathy, telegraph to me. 
Promise you’ll do it, Ronald. Perhaps it is self- 
ish of me, but I cannot help hoping that before 
long you will be my son and the companion of 
my old age.” 


X 

THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 

A FEW weeks after Sir Sydriey^s departure an 
event occurred which sent all the family into a 
turmoil once more. One of Mrs. Manningham^s 
brothers was a naval officer and at the time of 
the sacking of Pekin, he had secured and 
brought home to his sister a beautiful and well- 
nigh priceless vase of antique china, which had 
been one of the choice treasures of the em- 
peroPs. Naturally Mrs. Manningham prized 
this beautiful vase exceedingly, and was not a 
little proud of being the possessor of such a rare 
and valuable specimen. She generally kept it 
locked up in a glass cabinet, but one day she 
had been showing it to a number of connoisseurs 
who were lost in admiration of its beauty and 
perfection. As soon as they had gone she was 
about to put it away when she was hurriedly 
summoned to answer a long distance call on the 

155 


156 RONALD'S MISSION 

telephone. The message was a distressing one 
telling her of the sudden death of a much-loved 
niece of hers, and in her grief Mrs. Manning- 
ham forgot all about the vase and shut herself 
up in her room to weep over her sorrow. 

About half an hour later there was the sound 
of a terrific crash accompanied by a piercing 
shriek and a yell of pain from Nettle, and every 
one ran to the drawing-room from whence the 
sounds came. Mrs. Manningham was one of the 
first to reach it, and when she entered she found 
Ronald kneeling by Nettle, who stood beside 
the broken vase trembling all over and bleed- 
ing profusely from a cut across her little black 
nose. 

“ Ronald, you wicked boy ! How dared you 
touch my beautiful vase," cried Mrs. Manning- 
ham, angrily. 

“ I didn't touch it, auntie. I heard a smash 
and a scream and I ran to see what it was and 
I found poor Nettle bleeding and your beauti- 
ful vase broken. Oh, I'm so sorry," cried Ron- 
ald as Mrs. Manningham burst into tears. 

“ How can you say you didn't do it ? " cried 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 157 

his aunt between her sobs. ‘‘ Why, you were 
the only one in the room when I came in.’^ 

“ I only got here just before you, auntie, and 
indeed, indeed I didn^t do it. Td say so if I had, 
for Tve never told a lie,’’ cried the poor child 
earnestly. 

The whole household had assembled by this 
time and Miss Rouniss came forward, saying, 
“ Excuse my interfering, Mrs. Manningham, 
but I really donT think it could have been Ron- 
ald, for as you know, his room is next to mine 
and I most distinctly heard him open his door 
and run down-stairs directly after I had been 
startled by the sound of broken china and the 
howl from Nettle.” 

“You must have been mistaken. Miss Rou- 
niss,” said nurse icily, “ for I saw Master Ronald 
go towards the drawing-room just a few minutes 
before the smash.” 

“ You are quite as likely to have been mis- 
taken as Miss Rouniss, nurse,” said the judge, 
coldly. “ Whereas Lionel ? ” 

“ Oh, it couldn^t have been Lionel, dear sweet 
lamb,” cried nurse, “ for he^s been playing in 


158 


RONALD’S MISSION 


the garden for the last half hour to my certain 
knowledge.” 

” Strange that I should have seen him hurry- 
ing across the hall as I ran up from the 
kitchen,” exclaimed the cook indignantly. 

“ You say you saw him running across the 
hall after the smash? ” inquired the judge sternly. 

“ Yes sir, and I’d swear to it if I was afore a 
court of justice, and I’d stick to it if I was to 
lose my place for saying so,” said the woman 
glaring fiercely at the nurse. 

“ Well, anyhow, if he was in the hall that’s no 
proof that he’d been in the drawing-room,” ex- 
claimed his mother. 

“ Nor could he have been in the garden at 
one and the same time,” answered her husband. 
“ Go and fetch him and tell him to come here 
at once,” he added, turning to one of the serv- 
ants. 

Lionel came in and made a great show of as- 
tonishment and grief at the sight of his “ poor 
mummy’s ” broken vase. 

“ Do you know anything about the breaking 
of this vase, Lionel ?” inquired his father. 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 1 59 

“ Oh, no, papa, I didn’t touch it. How could 
I when I was in the garden ? ” 

“ You were seen in the hall after the accident,” 
said his father coldly. 

Lionel turned pale and stammered, I forgot 
— I — I had run in to get a handkerchief out of 
my coat pocket, papa.” 

“ No one was here but Ronald. Nurse saw 
him coming in here just before, and I found him 
almost in the very act,” exclaimed Mrs. Man- 
ningham impetuously. ‘‘ Surely all that is 
proof enough he was the one that did it.” 

‘‘I don’t think so,” said the judge firmly, 
‘‘specially after what Miss Rouniss says of hav- 
ing heard him leave his room after the accident. 
He ran quicker than you did, besides which he 
had not so far to go, that’s all. I might as well 
say that I felt sure you’d done it because you 
were standing by the shattered vase when I 
came in, Lucile.” 

“But nurse says she saw Ronald going 
towards the drawing-room.” 

“Excuse me,” said Mr. Manningham, “but 
I’d believe Miss Rouniss’s testimony before I 


l6o RONALD’S MISSION 

would that of a woman whose veracity I have 
several times had good reason to doubt.” 

“ I suppose you want to accuse Lionel of it,” 
cried Mrs. Manningham, again bursting into 
tears. 

“ I want to accuse no one. We have no proof 
that either of the children did it. Nettle may 
simply have rushed against that slight, rather 
unsteady table and upset it. We have a proof 
of her having been there at the time of the ac- 
cident by her bleeding nose. I am very much 
distressed about your beautiful vase, Lucile, and 
wish I could promise to replace it; but I’m 
afraid that is impossible, though I’ll see what 
can be done. Anyhow, it’s no good our all 
standing here any longer. Children, go with 
Miss Rouniss.” 

Mrs. Manningham was furious and when 
Ronald came up to her before he left the room 
and begged her to believe him, again assuring 
her of his innocence, she turned angrily from 
him, muttering that he was an ungrateful, spite- 
ful, deceitful little intruder who had done nothing 
but cause trouble since he entered their home. 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE l6l 

Ronald had borne many things very pa- 
tiently, but after all he was no saint but just an 
ordinary little boy, and he had constantly had 
to struggle against temptation to anger and 
despondency, for his was a very proud and sen- 
sitive nature. After he had been thus repulsed 
by his aunt he ran up to his room and threw 
himself on his bed in a violent fit of despair. 
He had been so happy to feel that Mrs. Man- 
ningham was beginning to like him, and now it 
was such a bitter disappointment to know that 
she was angry with him and doubted his word. 
Then as he began to think over the whole af- 
fair, his sorrow turned to anger and revolt 
against the constant injustice with which he was 
treated. He thought with bitterness of the 
falsehoods nurse and Lionel were always saying 
against him and he felt that he hated them. He 
had tried so hard to be good and patient, but 
what was the use ? Nobody believed him ; his 
aunt had called him an intruder. Oh, why 
hadn^t he gone with Sir Sydney who loved him 
and would have been kind to him ! 

All at once he sprang up with a sudden re- 


i 62 


RONALD’S MISSION 


solve. Sir Sydney had told him to telegraph 
to him if he were unhappy. Why shouldn’t he 
do so now ? He would leave this house where 
they doubted his word, where they told lies 
about him. He never wished to see any of 
them again. Quivering with excitement and 
anger, he sat down at his desk and tried to write 
out the dispatch to Sir Sydney, but it was not so 
easy to word it as he had at first imagined. 
While he was still busy over this Miss Rouniss 
came in and looked in astonishment at his 
flushed face and flashing eyes. 

“ Ronald, dear, what are you writing ? ” she 
inquired gently. 

The child hung his head. “ I — I was trying 
to write a telegram to Sir Sydney,” he mur- 
mured. 

“ A telegram ! What for ? ” asked Miss 
Rouniss in surprise. 

“To tell him that I want to go to him, that I 
won’t stay here any longer to be lied about, and 
always accused of doing everything that’s 
wrong, and not believed, and called an intruder. 
I won’t stay here any longer, I won’t, I won’t 1 ” 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 163 

he cried wildly, stamping his feet with rage. 
“ Nurse and Lionel are always lying about me 
and I hate them ! ” 

“ Ronald 1 Can this really be my Ron- 
ald ? exclaimed Miss Rouniss sadly. “ Surely, 
dear, you are quite forgetting yourself — and 
forgetting your mother, too. What do you 
imagine she can think of you just now, Ron- 
ald ? 

The boy flushed deeply and the tears sprang 
into his eyes. “ Mother knows I always tell the 
truth,” he cried. 

“ Yes, but weVe many things to do besides 
telling the truth. Did she not make you prom- 
ise to stay a year here — however hard it might 
be — for the sake of the mission your father left 
you ? Did she not tell you to offer up all you 
might suffer for the saving of your uncle’s soul ? 
How do you know that it was not to your pa- 
tient bearing of this false accusation that Our 
Lord has attached the granting of your uncle’s 
conversion ? ” 

“ But it was so unjust ; what nurse said was 
so untrue, and Lionel lied too, for I saw him 


i64 RONALD’S MISSION 

running down-stairs just as I got to the drawing- 
room.” 

“ And are you the first one to be unjustly ac- 
cused? If our dear Lord asks you to bear 
such injustice, did He not bear a far greater one 
for your sake? Could anything have been 
more unjust than His condemnation and cruci- 
fixion ? Yet what did He say of His persecu- 
tors ? ‘ Father forgive them for they know not 

what they do.’ Besides, Ronald, you are un- 
just yourself, now, when you speak as if every- 
body was against you. Did not your uncle 
defend you and refuse to believe nurse ? Didn’t 
I speak up for you, and have I ever failed you 
as a friend ? Ronald, dear, take your mother’s 
crucifix out of the drawer and kneeling with it 
in your hand examine your conscience and 
think whether you are behaving as a little boy 
should do who has the privilege of receiving his 
dear Lord every week. In a quarter of an hour 
I will come back ; then if you wish it, I will 
send your telegram.” 

Without another word the governess went out 
of the room, and when she came back again she 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 165 

found Ronald on his knees sobbing as if his 
heart would break and still holding the crucifix 
in his hand. 

“Well, dear,^^ said Miss Rouniss, “shall I 
send the telegram ? 

“ Oh, no, dear Miss Rouniss. Fm so sorry I 
was so naughty, so sinful I Oh, how I wish I 
could go to confession and ask God to forgive 
mer^ 

“ Can^t you ask Him without going to con- 
fession, dear?^’ said Miss Rouniss. “ Didn't I 
read that when unable to receive the Sacrament 
of Penance a fervent act of perfect contrition 
would obtain pardon from God ? " 

“ I have made lots and lots of acts of contri- 
tion," said Ronald, but he was inconsolable to 
think that he had given way to such bitter feel- 
ings of anger and hatred and had told Miss 
Rouniss about Lionel. One of the things his 
mother had specially impressed upon him was 
the wicfkedness of telling of other people's 
wrong-doings, and it was a thing he was always 
very careful to avoid. Now his sin of anger 
had led him into this other sin and he repented 


RONALD’S MISSION 


1 66 

bitterly of it and entreated Miss Rouniss not to 
betray Lionel. 

“ You must not give way to despair now, 
Ronald dear ; that would only be committing 
another sin ; so just humble yourself before 
God and determine to make up for this fall 
by being extra patient and good in future. 
Now dry your tears, dear, for in ten minutes it 
will be time for you to come to the school- 
room.” 

That evening, while Miss Rouniss was hav- 
ing her usual little serious talk with Ronald, 
somebody rapped on the door, and when the 
governess opened it. Judge Manningham en- 
tered. 

“ Don’t let me send you away,” he said to 
her as he sat down beside Ronald ; “ there is 
nothing I want to say but what you are wel- 
come to hear, and I am truly grateful to you 
for being so kind to this poor orphan lad who 
has too many enemies in this house.” 

“ 1 think thei'e is but one leading one,” said 
Miss Rouniss in a low voice. 

“ Yes, but she has much influence and is 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 1 67 

spiteful and hypocritical enough to do any 
amount of mischief. I don^t know what I 
wouldn’t give to get rid of the old— cat,” he 
added with a laugh. 

Then turning to Ronald he laid his hand 
affectionately on the boy’s shoulder and said, 
‘‘ Now, my boy, I want to ask you a few ques- 
tions. By the love you have for your dead 
mother tell me truly if you had anything to do 
with the breaking of that vase.” 

“ No, uncle, I spoke the truth, only the truth,” 
answered the child, looking him straight in the 
face with his honest brown eyes. 

“ I believe you, Ronald. I feel sure you are 
absolutely truthful as your father always was. 
I only wish I could say the same of — well, 
never mind. Now did you see any one coming 
out of the drawing-room ? ” 

“No, uncle.” 

“ Or hear any one running down the stairs ? ” 

Ronald colored deeply and murmured, “ I’d 
rather not say, uncle.” 

“ Then you did,” said Mr. Manningham 
quietly. “ That’s what I thought. But if you 


RONALD’S MISSION 


1 68 

prefer bearing an unjust suspicion to telling of 
another, I’m not the one to force you to go 
against your sense of honor, Ronald. Now, my 
boy, what I want to say is that I know it’s very 
hard for you to know that your aunt suspects 
you unjustly, but I wish you to feel that I my- 
self fully believe you — in fact I ain as sure you 
did not break that vase as that I didn’t do it 
myself. Now don’t distress yourself more than 
you can help about this matter, but pray hard 
that the truth may be soon known. When I 
was a boy I too had a very dear and holy 
mother and she taught me to say a very beauti- 
ful prayer to Our Lady whenever I wished to 
obtain some special favor. Shall I teach it to 
you ? Take a pencil and write it down. It is, 
‘ My Lady, My Queen, and My Mother, in the 
name of Jesus, and for the love of Jesus, I be- 
seech thee, take this cause in hand and grant it 
good success.’ ” 

“ Oh, what a beautiful prayer ! I must copy 
it too,” exclaimed Miss Rouniss. 

“ Really ! ” cried Mr. Manningham with a 
look of astonishment. “ I did not think you 


THE VASE FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE 1 69 

would care for our Catholic prayers, Miss Rou- 
niss.’’ 

She colored deeply. “I think perhaps I 
ought to have told you — that I am just longing 
to become a Catholic and Father Malden is in- 
structing me, through Ronald.^' 

“Is it so? Well, I congratulate you,’^ said 
the judge, “ for it is the most beautiful religion 
in the world ; in fact if there is a religion it is 
the only one. It will be best for you to say noth- 
ing of this to any one but myself, I think.” 

“ Isn^t it lovely to think of having Miss Rou- 
niss a Catholic?” cried Ronald. “And oh, 
won^t you help me to pray by making a No vena 
to Our Lady and saying this beautiful prayer ? ” 
“ It is a long time since I made a Novena,” 
said the judge rather sadly. “ Fve almost for- 
gotten how to pray — but Fll think about it. 
Pray for me too, Ronald,” he added rather 
huskily as, after patting the child^s head affec- 
tionately, he hurried out of the room. 

After this event Mrs. Manningham seemed 
more bitter against her nephew than she had 
ever been before, and Lionel and nurse rejoiced 


1 70 


RONALD’S MISSION 


greatly to think that not only had Lionel escaped 
punishment but through their combined false- 
hoods they had got Ronald into such serious 
trouble. They took advantage of it to perse- 
cute him in every possible way, but the boy was 
so truly repentent for his fit of anger that he 
bore all their unkindness with unfailing patience, 
full of confidence that God would justify him 
some day. 


XI 


A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE 

Things had been anything but pleasant or 
smooth in the Manningham family since the 
breaking of the beautiful vase. To be sure it 
had been so wonderfully mended by an expert 
that hardly any one could have detected that it 
had met with an accident, but Mrs. Manning- 
ham could not forgive her husband for siding 
with Ronald in this affair, and Lionel, though 
he had been so delighted at first that his mother 
believed in Ronaldos guilt, felt unpleasantly cer- 
tain that his father suspected the true state of 
the case, and dreaded lest he should find some 
proof of his (LioneFs) guilt. He had not for- 
gotten the whipping he had received for having 
lied before, and at times the fear of detection 
haunted him so that he almost wished he had 
confessed his misdeed at the time ; for, after all, 

it had been but an accident. He was restless 
171 


172 


RONALD'S MISSION 


and ill at ease with his father, Miss Rouniss, 
Ronald and even with Teresa. The fact was 
that although Lionel's nature had been warped, 
embittered and lowered by nurse, he was not at 
heart a bad boy and had by nature a fairly keen 
sense of honor and he really had a conscience, 
both of which were troubling him very much at 
this time. He became so moody, irritable and 
restless that at rare intervals his mother was 
actually anxious about him, but her so-called 
social duties left her so little time to think of 
anybody that she comforted herself by thinking 
that nurse would look after him all right. 

Whenever he could do so Lionel would slip 
out into the park and wander about far from the 
house and all that reminded him of his deceit 
and sin. One day when he had strayed further 
than usual in a densely wooded part of the spa- 
cious grounds, he came suddenly upon an evil 
looking young man (of three or four and twenty 
years), with red hair and a shifting glance that 
always eluded one's eye. At first the child was 
frightened and instinctively felt the intruder to 
be an evil doer of some sort, so he was about 


A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE 1 73 

to turn and run home when the youth stepped 
quickly forward barring his way and at the 
same time began in a plaintive, whining tone to 
beg for the young gentleman^s pity. He was 
out of work, starving, had to support a widowed 
mother and ever so many brothers and sisters, 
etc., etc. He had gone up to the house to ask 
for help, but the servants had refused him so 
much as a crust of bread ! He felt sure that the 
young gentleman was too noble hearted not to 
take pity on him. If he could only give him a 
few pence it might save the life of his aged 
mother — and so forth and so on. The young 
fellow^s manner was so honeyed and deferential 
and he worked so cleverly on LioneFs feelings 
that the child joyfully gave him a half-dollar 
w^hich he happened to have in his pocket. Then 
the youth, whose name was Jim, burst out into 
such torrents of thanks, vows of eternal grati- 
tude, and praise of the handsome young gentle- 
man^s generosity and nobleness of heart that 
Lionel felt himself quite a hero ; and when as a 
proof of his gratitude, Jim proposed to show him 
how to make whistles from the reeds growing 


174 


RONALD’S MISSION 


by the river, he was quite delighted ; and after 
a most enjoyable half hour he promised to meet 
his new friend the very next day and bring him 
some provisions for his starving family. The 
second day Jim was again profuse in thanks, 
though the provisions Lionel had managed to 
hide in his pocket were of rather a slender kind. 
This time Jim amused the child by making 
quaint little figures of animals out of acorns and 
chestnuts, all the time cleverly drawing him into 
conversation and getting from him all manner 
of information as to the habits and doings of the 
various members of the house. 

“ Don’t you ever let out as how you meets 
me here, little pal, else there’d be a nice how- 
d’ye-do and yer pa ’ud set the perlice after me 
fer trespassing, maybe. Grand folks like yourn 
ain’t got no pity for we poor critters, and there 
ain’t one in a thousand as has a heart of gold 
like yourn, little master. They’d think as you 
was a-demeaning yourself talking to a poor cuss 
like me as is down on his luck.” 

There was no fear of Lionel’s telling of his 
secret meetings ; he was far too much afraid of 


A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE 1 75 

being punished for them. Down in his heart he 
knew that he was doing wrong, and in spite of 
all Jim^s flattery and his delightful cleverness in 
making all sorts of things, the child felt his new 
friend was not to be trusted. Still he could not 
resist the temptation of meeting him daily, and 
he exercised all his ingenuity and cunning in 
doing so without attracting undue attention. 
Sometimes he would go out very early in the 
morning, long before any one was up or about ; 
sometimes he would simply tell Miss Rouniss 
he was going to nurse and say to nurse he was 
going to play in the garden. He piled up false- 
hood upon falsehood and became more and 
more confidential with Jim, telling him of his 
hatred of Ronald, of the good fortune he^d had 
in getting him blamed for the breaking of the 
vase. Jim laughed and called him “ a knowing 
little cuss and advised him to persevere in his 
efforts to get rid of his cousin, in words which 
do not bear repeating. Lionel had been much 
shocked by his friend’s language at first, but he 
w^as getting used to it and even found a pleas- 
ant spiciness about it. 


176 


RONALD’S MISSION 


This had been going on for over a week and 
on a certain day Lionel had made arrangements 
to meet the young man near the river at about 
three o’clock in the afternoon. The same day, 
at luncheon Judge Manningham said to his 
wife, “ Lucile, we must warn the servants to be 
on their guard and have everything closed 
early in future, for I’ve heard that there is a 
gang of very dangerous men in the neigh- 
borhood and the police have warned me that 
they believe some of them have been seen on 
my grounds of late. The women servants must 
be careful not to go into the park after dark and 
the children must on no account go into the 
grounds by themselves at any time of the day. 
You understand, boys. I have made arrange- 
ments to have detectives about the place to- 
morrow, but for to-day we must just keep in- 
doors, that’s all, though if the scare continues, 
I will see about having some private detectives 
about the place ; but for the present, I don’t 
believe it to be anything worth troubling about, 
though it’s best to be on one’s guard.” 

Lionel’s heart beat fast and he felt dismayed. 


A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE 1 77 

for he had so faithfully promised Jim he would 
be at the meeting place at three o’clock. Oh, 
he must manage to be there if it was only just 
once more. All the day he plotted and planned 
how he would do it, and as it turned out it 
proved easier than he had feared. His father 
and mother were both out and would not return 
until six. Miss Rouniss was giving Ronald a 
music lesson, nurse was busy over a new dress 
for Teresa, and all the other servants were taken 
up over the preparations for a dinner party that 
evening. 

Slipping out unnoticed, Lionel sped as quickly 
as he could to the trysting place and informed 
his friend of all his father had said that morn- 
ing. 

At first Jim was much perturbed, for his plans 
were not quite ripe and he had not yet drawn 
from Lionel all the needed information. But 
if the judge thought of employing detectives 
the next day, he and his pals would have to act 
that very night. A vicious gleam came into the 
youth’s face as he thought for a minute of seiz- 
ing Lionel there and then and torturing him into 


178 


RONALD’S MISSION 


giving the desired information as to where his 
mother’s jewels were kept ; but on second 
thought he hit upon a better plan and putting 
on a most sympathetic and concerned expres- 
sion, he exclaimed : 

“ Don’t you fret, kid. I’ll watch over yer and 
defend you with my life’s blood if it comes to 
that. Ain’t you been my little pal and kept me 
from starving all these days, a-bringing me 
grub and cash to keep me and my folks alive ? 
Come to think of it, I heard some chaps a-talk- 
ing there behind the hedge this morning and 
now yer tells me about this here scare, putting 
two and two together I see them’s the coves, 
and they are coming here this very night. I’ve 
got a ripping good plan to catch them if you’ll 
only help me. See what a hero you’ll be and 
how your folks’ll be proud of yer and grateful to 
yer friend, Jim. Yer Ronald a-hitting of the bull 
’ud be nothing to the glory that’ll come to you 
for catching these yer rascals.” 

“ But how can / catch them ? ” asked Lionel, 
timidly. 

“You leave it to me, youngster. You know 


A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE 1 79 

how clever I be at making things . . . well ! 
I^m just going to make a stunning one that’s 
a-going to catch them as easy as easy ; and 
don’t you fear, young un ; no harm can come to 
you. I’ll be there with me gun to protect yer.” 

After much persuasion, Lionel, who was in a 
perfect fever to get home, promised to meet Jim 
at a certain spot by the river at half-past nine 
that night. 

‘‘ And mind yer don’t fail, else them coves ull 
have it all their own way and I’ll bet yer harm’ll 
come to you. There’s nothing they’s so keen 
on as kidnapping little chaps, and there’s no 
knowing what they wouldn’t do to yer, so mind 
now.” 

This last was said in such a threatening voice 
and such a scowl came over Jim’s face that 
Lionel felt a deadly terror come over him and 
he was as white as a ghost when he came down 
to dinner that day. 

“ Why, Lionel ! What’s the matter with 
you ? Are you sick ? ” said his mother, notic- 
ing he hardly ate a mouthful. 

“ Oh, I’m all right, mother, only I ate lots of 


l8o RONALD’S MISSION 

candy before dinner,” answered the child, to 
whom this often happened. 

‘‘ I must really tell nurse not to let you stuff 
yourself like that between meals,” said Mrs. 
Manningham. ‘‘ Fll have the doctor in to see 
you to-morrow if you’re not all right again.” 

To-morrow ! Oh, how Lionel longed for it to 
be to-morrow ; for, coward as he was, he was 
mortally afraid at the thought of going out into 
the woods at night to catch the robbers and yet 
more afraid to stay at home and w^ait for them 
to come and kidnap him. Couldn’t he hide 
somewhere ? Couldn’t he tell some one? Oh, 
he dare not, for then he would have to confess 
his meetings with Jim. And then ! to think of 
the glory of having caught a whole gang of 
ruffians. He had been disgraced, and proved a 
liar before his little friends and had heard one 
whisper the word “ coward,” but how they would 
all admire and praise him after this great deed ! 

The guests had come, the party was a brilliant 
one. At eight o’clock the two boys had been 
sent to bed as usual. 

‘‘ I shan’t be able to come and have my little 


A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE l8l 

chat with you to-night, Ronald,’’ Miss Rouniss 
had said in the afternoon, “for your aunt wants 
me to play accompaniments and so forth, but 
Fve read a great deal of that book Father Mal- 
den sent me, and to-morrow I will have a great 
deal to talk over with you, my little missionary,” 
she added tenderly. 

As he was going to his room Ronald heard 
his uncle speaking on the stairs with the head- 
keeper. 

‘‘ I’ve put some man traps and spring guns 
everywhere I think they’re likely to pass,” the 
man was saying, “ so if the blackguards do 
come they’ll have an unpleasant reception.” 

“ But you haven’t put any along the carriage 
drive ! ” 

“ Oh, no sir ; no fear of their coming along 
there, and besides we’ll watch the drive safe 
enough.” 

‘‘ Are the traps and guns strong enough to 
kill a man ? I’d hate to do that,” said the judge 
anxiously. 

Oh, no ! The shotguns might kill a child, 
but they wouldn’t reach up higher than the legs 


i 82 


RONALD’S MISSION 


of a man. They may lame him ; that’s what 
we want ; and the traps will hold him tight, I 
warrant you. You needn’t trouble, sir ; there’s 
no fear of anything happening. I believe all 
this is nothing but a foolish scare.” 

” I think so too, but it’s as well to be pre- 
pared. Well, good-night, Donald. I hope you 
won’t have any trouble,” said the judge, as he 
returned to his guests. 


XII 

IN THE DARK NIGHT 

Ronald was restless and could not sleep that 
night. Was it because he had not had his 
usual little talk with the kind governess, or was 
it the conversation between his uncle and the 
keeper which had made him so strangely nerv- 
ous ? In vain he twisted and turned, in vain 
he put himself under the protection of God and 
our Lady, and tried to say his rosary. He 
could not keep his attention on the mysteries, 
and a foreboding of some dreadful evil seemed 
to press like a dead weight on his heart. He 
seemed to be haunted by the picture of some 
man entrapped in those awful iron jaws, some 
child killed by one of the shotguns. A child ! 
What child would be out in the park at this 
hour ? Half-past nine had just been struck by 
the great clock in the hall when, almost without 
183 


184 


RONALD'S MISSION 


thinking what he was doing, Ronald got up and 
dressed hastily. Then he stepped up to the 
window and looked out. 

It was a rather dark night, and he could not 
see far into the park, but all of a sudden his 
heart seemed almost to stop beating, for there, 
coming out of the small back door used by the 
servants, he saw a small figure emerge, stop a 
minute as if in hesitation, then hasten out 
towards the shrubberies. Lionel ! It was Lio- 
nel. He followed swiftly, finally overtook the 
child, and grasping him by the arm told him 
what he had heard the keeper say. Lionel was 
half dead with fright, and instead of resenting 
his cousin's interference as the latter half feared 
he would, he felt it an intense relief to have him 
there. Trembling all over he clung to Ronald 
in a perfect panic, fearing to step either back- 
ward or forward. 

As they stood there in the deep shadow, they 
suddenly heard a rustling in the woods, and 
listened with beating hearts. Yes, undoubtedly 
it was footsteps, stealthy footsteps coming from 
the direction of the house, and dragging his 


IN THE DARK NIGHT 185 

cousin with him Ronald hid under the safe 
shelter of some dense underbrush. The steps 
came nearer and nearer, and soon the scared 
children heard the sound of muffled voices. 
The ruffians had so far unconsciously avoided 
the traps and guns, for they had stolen an au- 
tomobile from the neighboring city, and taking 
advantage of the dinner party had boldly come 
up by the carriage drive. Leaving the rest 
of their gang in hiding not far from the house, 
Jim and one of his accomplices were coming 
down to the river to meet Lionel and get from 
him the information they needed. Just as they 
neared the place where the boys were hiding, 
they sat down on the opposite bank for a few 
minutes to watch for the child, and began talk- 
ing in loud whispers. 

‘‘ I tell yer there ain^t no fear of his giving us 
the slip. I scared him good about the burglar 
a-kidnapping him if he stayed home. Hefll be 
here in a jiffy, and he^s such a deuced coward 
you can get anything out of him/^ 

“ What if he won^t tell ? asked the other. 

‘‘ Don^t you fear: I knows a way of grinding 


RONALD’S MISSION 


1 86 

the knuckles that’s as good as them there 
thumbscrews any day.” 

“ But won’t he yell ? ” 

“ Not much ! Leave ’im to me.” 

” But he’ll be able to tell on yer afterwards to 
describe yer too well.” 

“Trust me. I ain’t a-going to take no 
chances. When we’ve got what we wants out 
of the kid, we’ll wring his neck and chuck him in 
the river. Dead brats tells no tales, and afore 
he’s missed we’ll be miles away.” 

Lionel, terrified, gave a little gasp and clung 
desperately to his cousin. 

“ Hello ! Didn’t yer hear something ? ” said 
the second man. 

“ The brat’s a-going to the river t’other way, I 
bet. Let’s hike it and go down there,” an- 
swered Jim. 

As soon as the men’s backs were turned and 
they had gone on a little way, the children got 
up and ran off to the house at full speed. It 
seemed as if they would never reach it, and 
they’d hardly got safely on the back stairs 
when there were two or three sharp reports in 


IN THE DARK NIGHT 


187 


the park followed by a perfect volley of shots 
and the sound of yells and shouts. In a min- 
ute the music ceased in the drawing-room 
and, just as the children had got into LioneFs 
room they heard the gentlemen all hur- 
rying out of the hall door and the judge 
shouting to the men servants to arm them- 
selves and come with them to see what was 
the matter. 

“You won^t tell of my having been in the 
park. Promise you won^t tell,’’ gasped Lionel, 
clinging to his cousin. 

“ I won’t tell if I can help it, but if uncle asks 
me anything I canH tell a lie,” answered Ronald 
gently but firmly. 

“ I know ! But oh, try not to tell of me,” re- 
peated Lionel beseechingly, then throwing his 
arms round his cousin’s neck he cried : 

“ Oh, Ronald, if it hadn’t been for you I’d be 
dead in the river now. You saved me and yet 
I’d been so horrid to you ! ” 

“ Never mind ! We won’t think of all that 
any more. I’d just love it if we could be 
friends,” answered Ronald. 


RONALD’S MISSION 


1 88 

“Oh, we’ll always, always be friends now,” 
said Lionel fervently. 

“ I’m so glad ! But now we must hurry into 
bed, in case any one comes up,” answered his 
cousin as he slipped away and hurried back to 
his own room. 

They had barely scrambled into bed again 
when Mrs. Manningham and Miss Rouniss ran 
up to see if the children were all right. 

It was some little time before the shooting 
ceased, and the ladies and children were in a 
terrible state of anxiety until Mr. Manningham 
and his guests and servants returned. They 
were in a tremendous state of excitement and 
for many hours the whole household was in a 
state of turmoil and confusion. It appeared 
that the police had suspected that the gang 
meant to rob the judge’s house that night and 
a large number of detectives were in hiding in 
the park, as were also the keepers. Jim and his 
accomplice had been the first to stumble into 
two of the shotguns and had at once been dis- 
covered. They had defended themselves fran- 
tically ; and their accomplices, hearing the shots. 


IN THE DARK NIGHT 189 

had rushed to their rescue. A perfect battle had 
ensued in the course of which two policemen 
and a keeper had been wounded, and after a 
fierce struggle, Jim and the accomplice who was 
with him had been killed and the others taken 
prisoners. Jim turned out to be a desperate 
fellow known as Ripping Jimmy ’’ who had a 
host of horrible murders to his account and for 
whom the police had been hunting for months 
past. 

“ Oh, Ronald,’^ exclaimed Lionel the first 
time he found himself alone with his cousin the 
next day, ‘‘ I don’t know how to thank you for 
coming out to me last night, and Fm afraid 
you’ll think it horrid of me not to tell mother 
that it was I who broke the vase ; but oh, I 
can’t, Ronald ! I can’t ! Father would be so 
angry with me for having lied to him.” 

“ Don’t you think he’d forgive you if you told 
him yourself ? ” said Ronald anxiously. “ Oh, I 
wish, I wish you could tell him everything. It 
doesn’t seem right to have secrets like this.” 

** Oh, I couldn’t tell him I I know you must 
think me a coward, but I couldn’t just now. 


RONALD’S MISSION 


190 

Later on when I feel stronger perhaps I can, 
but not now. Don’t ask me to do it now, 
Ronald.” 

“ Don’t you think if you prayed to God to 
help you you’d have the courage soon ? You’d 
be ever so much happier, I know, when you’d 
told uncle everything, and he is so kind, Lionel.” 

“ If you’ll help me I’ll pray every day till I 
get brave, then I’ll tell,” said Lionel, thankful 
to have found an excuse for putting off the pain- 
ful moment. 


XIII 


THE GLASS BOWL 

Lionel was truly grateful to his cousin and 
soon became much attached to him, but he had 
more sins and deceit than ever on his conscience, 
and in spite of all Ronald could say to him he 
would not be persuaded to confide all to his 
father. His courage always failed him and yet 
his conscience tormented him more and more 
and he continued to be restless, despondent and 
dissatisfied with himself. Nurse was not a little 
astonished at his sudden friendship for his 
cousin and was perfectly furious to find that he 
shunned her more and more and was no longer 
an ally of hers. She attributed this entirely to 
Ronaldos influence, hated him all the more cor- 
dially for it and longed to find some way of 
getting him into further trouble and finally hav- 
ing him expelled from the house. 

She therefore set to work to watch the chil- 
191 


192 


RONALD’S MISSION 


dren closely, and one day she came suddenly 
in upon them as they were kneeling side by side 
saying their short daily prayer that Lionel might 
obtain courage to confess his deceits. She 
could not hear what they were saying ; the 
fact that Lionel was praying with “ that little 
idolater ” was enough for her and she rushed to 
Mrs. Manningham’s room with a long story 
as to how Ronald was getting hold of Lionel 
and teaching him his idolatrous notions on the 
sly. She added that she had discovered pop- 
ish books in Miss Rouniss’s room, that she’d 
seen her going to Ronald’s room night after 
night and was sure she was in league with him 
and that together they were casting a spell upon 
her precious Lionel, and “ we’ll have the sweet 
lamb worshiping the Virgin before we know 
where we are,” she added sententiously. 

Mrs. Manningham was aghast and only too 
ready to believe the woman’s accusations and 
share her anger against Ronald. She resolved 
to complain bitterly to the judge and insist on 
the children being separated. As to Miss 
Rouniss, much as she had liked her hitherto. 


THE GLASS BOWL 


193 


she was determined to send her away as soon 
as she could find a satisfactory successor to 
her. Just then visitors began to arrive, as this 
was Mrs. Manningham’s reception day, so she 
had to put off taking any active measures until 
evening. 

It was the children's half holiday and Miss 
Rouniss had gone out on a shopping expedi- 
tion, so that the children were all under nurse^s 
care. Soon after she had returned from her 
talk with her mistress, a friend of the judge^s 
came to invite the two boys to go for an auto 
ride with him. Lionel accepted with joy but 
Ronald regretfully refused, saying he had 
promised his governess he would practice on his 
violin, besides which he had a letter he must 
write. As soon as Lionel had gone, however, 
Teresa found it very dull to be alone with nurse 
and to the latter^s great indignation insisted 
upon going to be with Ronald. He was glad 
enough to see her but found it very difficult • 
either to practice or write with the little one 
playing about and chatting incessantly ; so at 
last she persuaded him to go with her to the 


194 


RONALD’S MISSION 


large schoolroom which led out on to a veranda 
fitted up as playroom and gymnasium. On 
entering the schoolroom the baby saw a glass 
bowl on the table apparently full of bright clear 
water. 

“ Oh, I’se thirsty. I’ll drink the nice water,” 
she exclaimed. 

” Oh, no, baby dear,” said Ronald anxiously. 
” You mustn’t touch that ; I don’t know what it 
is, but it might be something that would hurt 
you,” and as she insisted, saying “ Teresa is so 
welly, welly thirsty,” he exclaimed : 

“Just wait a minute, Teresa, and I’ll run 
down and get you a glass of lovely fresh milk ; 
shall I?” 

“ Oh, please do, dear Ronald,” she exclaimed 
delightedly, for she was particularly fond of 
milk. 

“ Well, mind you don’t touch that water 
while I’m away, baby,” he said as he hurried 
off. 

The cook was busy making pastry and Ronald 
had to wait some little time for the milk and 
when he hurried back to the schoolroom he 


THE GLASS BOWL 


195 


found little Teresa just putting down the bowl 
and making a fearfully wry face as she cried, 
‘‘ Nasty burny water/’ 

Springing towards her, the boy put the milk 
to her lips, exclaiming : 

Drink, Teresa, drink this quick ! You must 
drink it,” he added, and in spite of her resistance 
he managed to pour it down her throat while 
shouting for help at the top of his voice. 

It was nurse who entered first just as, having 
got the child down on her back and forced her 
mouth open, he had put his finger down to tickle 
her throat. 

“ You bad, wicked boy to try and strangle 
our dear child,” cried the nurse, thrusting him 
away while she caught up the poor baby who 
was screaming and was beginning to vomit 
violently. 

Totally heedless of nurse’s accusations Ronald 
rushed down-stairs to tell his uncle what had 
happened. The judge immediately telephoned 
the doctor and was told he was visiting a patient 
in a house close by. 

** I’ll hurry and fetch him myself,” exclaimed 


196 RONALD’S MISSION 

Mr. Manningham. “ Run and tell your aunt 
I’ve gone for him.” 

While Ronald was away, Mrs. Manningham 
had run up on hearing Teresa’s screams, and 
nurse had burst into a violent denunciation of 
the boy whom she declared she had found 
actually murdering the poor baby. She’d heard 
him force her to drink something, poison most 
likely, and when she came in she actually found 
him trying to strangle her ! 

“ Oh, my child, my darling, what has he done 
to you ? ” cried the mother, falling on her knees 
beside the sick child. “ Oh, you little wretch, 
you base, deceitful little brute,” she cried, leap- 
ing up and springing towards Ronald who was 
just hurrying back to give her his uncle’s mes- 
sage. “ What have you done to my child ? 
We took you in, you pauper, you hypocrite, 
and were good to you and like a little viper you 
have done us nothing but harm in return. The 
darling child loved you ! Why did you reek 
your spite on her ? ” 

“ But, Aunt Lucile, I only gave her milk ; I 
thought ” began Ronald. 


THE GLASS BOWL 


197 


‘‘ You poisoned her, you heartless wretch ; see 
her writhing in agony, killed by you. Get out 
of my sight ; leave my house this minute or Til 
kill you,” she added as, beside herself with rage, 
she raised her hand and struck him. 

Stunned with grief and fright the boy reeled 
out of the room and staggered down the stairs 
and into the hall where he mechanically took 
his cap, then rushed out of the house. Every 
one was rushing up the stairs to see what was 
the matter, but those who saw him thought he 
was hurrying out for the doctor. 

“ Oh, mother, mother,” he wailed, “ I did try 
to do right. I thought the milk would save 
her ! Oh, dear Jesus, what did I do ? Is it 
true I killed my little Teresa ? My darling, oh, 
my little darling ! ” he moaned as he hurried 
along. ‘‘ Oh, God,” he added, ‘‘ Fm so 
wretched I canT bear it! Save my little 
darling ; forgive me if I did wrong, and let me 
suffer for her.” 

Half-unconsciously he had taken the way to 
church and as he recollected this he determined 
to go and tell Father Malden everything. He 


198 


RONALD’S MISSION 


would understand, help him and telegraph for 
him to Sir Sydney. 

Just then he heard a gentle whine and felt 
something rubbing against his legs and looking 
down he saw his faithful friend, Nettle, who had 
followed him and was trying to tell him of her 
sympathy, for she saw he was in trouble. The 
child bent down to pet the faithful animal and 
murmured, “ Oh, Nettle, you love me, don’t you ? 
But you must go back, dear ; they would be 
angry if you followed me.” 

But Nettle looked up with eyes that said as 
plainly as words : “No, I’ll never forsake you 
while you’re in trouble,” and Ronald felt grate- 
ful to her and thought that, after all, she might 
as well come with him as far as the rectory, as 
she had often done before. 

There was a rustic bridge over the foaming 
river, just a tree trunk thrown across it, and 
over this bridge Ronald had crossed many 
hundreds of times, but to-day, dazed by his sor- 
row, blinded by his tears, he missed his footing 
and with a cry of “ Oh, Jesus, help !” he fell into 
the rushing water. 


THE GLASS BOWL I99 

His uncle had met the doctor almost at the 
park gates, so that they both arrived by the sick 
child scarcely a minute after poor Ronald had 
been driven out of the room. 

“I hear there^s been an accident or some- 
thing,’- said the doctor on entering. Then as 
he bent over the sick child he added authorita- 
tively, I see there are some glasses on the 
table. Don’t let any one dare to touch them,” 
he added as he felt rather than saw nurse going 
up to them. 

For a time he worked over the child, using 
the stomach pump and giving her all possible 
alleviation ; then as soon as she was better and 
he felt she was out of all danger, he asked what 
had happened. 

“It was that Ronald who tried to kill the 
sweet lamb,” burst out nurse. 

“ How dare you accuse my nephew of such a 
thing?” cried the judge indignantly. “Ron- 
ald ! Why, he doted on that child ! He would 
have given his life for her any day.” 

“ Well, I heard him myself as I was running 
up as soon as I heard her scream and he was 


200 


RONALD’S MISSION 


saying fierce like, ‘ Drink this, Teresa ; you 
must drink this,’ and when I came in he had 
her on the floor and was strangling her.” 

” There is not the slightest sign of the child 
having been strangled,” said the doctor, looking 
at her throat. “ You must have lost your 
senses, my good woman.” 

“ Well, he had her on her back and he was 
stuffing his hand down her throat.” 

“ To make her vomit, the very best thing he 
could do ; and this,” he added, taking up the 
glass in which there was the remains of the 
milk, “ is a glass of perfectly good sweet milk. 
Does any one know anything about it ? ” 

“ Yes, doctor,” said the cook. “ Master Ron- 
ald, bless his heart, came running down and 
says he to me, ‘ Miss Teresa’s awful thirsty and 
she wants to drink something out of a bowl and 
I don’t know what it is, so give me some milk, 
cooky, there’s a dear.’ And I was busy and 
kept him waiting a bit and I should hardly 
think he could have got up-stairs with it when 
I heard Miss Teresa a-screaming, but as she 
often has tantrums I didn’t think nothing of it 


THE GLASS BOWL 


201 


at first The milk was perfectly good and 
sweet I can swear to that, for it was fresh 
drawn, just brought in from the dairy/’ 

“ Yes I The milk is perfectly good, but this is 
violent poison. You say Ronald mentioned that 
the baby had wished to drink out of a bowl ? ” 

“ Yes sir.” 

“ Oh, I see it all now. Baby,” he added 
bending over the sick child, ‘‘there was that 
bowl on the table and you wanted to drink out 
of it.” 

“Yes,” murmured the little one, “and Ronald 
said, ‘ Don’t — I’ll get milk,’ ” she added, with 
an effort. 

“And while Ronald was gone, baby was 
naughty and drank out of the bowl.” 

“ Yes, burny water.” 

“ And when Ronald came back he saw what 
you had done and made you drink the milk, and 
put his finger down your throat.” 

“Yes, make Teresa welly sick,” moaned the 
child. 

“ In point of fact,” said the doctor gravely, 
“ so far from having murdered the child, Ronald 


202 


RONALD’S MISSION 


has evidently saved her life. That bowl con- 
tained a solution of a deadly poison. Its 
antidote is milk and the thing to do is to bring 
on vomiting at once. It is a mercy that this 
woman did not arrive sooner to interfere in her 
stupid ignorance, for had not Ronald acted with 
rapidity and good sense as he did, this poor 
mite would have suffered untold agony and I 
might not have been able to save her ; indeed 
she would probably be dead now.” 

” Oh, don’t, don’t, doctor,” cried Mrs. Man- 
ningham clasping her hands and bursting into 
tears. ” I can’t bear it 1 ” Then turning to her 
husband she added, “ George, can you ever 
forgive me? I believed what nurse said. I 
stormed at poor Ronald and accused him of 
having murdered my child. I struck him and 
ordered him to leave my house forever. Oh, 
fetch him back, somebody ; go and find him ! 
For he cannot be far as yet. Let me beg his 
forgiveness on my knees if need be, for he 
saved my darling child from a horrible death 
and I drove him from his home, poor little 
motherless boy 1 ” 


XIV 


GRANTED PRAYERS 

Servants rushed in all directions in search 
of Ronald while the parents and doctor remained 
with the little patient who was rapidly improv- 
ing. Nurse was still there and though much 
mortified she did not yet consider herself beaten. 

“ It’s all very fine,” she said sourly, “ but you 
haven’t found out who put that bowl of poison 
there to tempt our poor lamb into poisoning 
herself.” 

“Oh, that was evidently an accident,” an- 
swered the doctor. “ It is a photographic 
developer, a very powerful one. I knew it in a 
minute by the smell. ” 

“ Both the boys do photography but have 
been strictly forbidden to bring their drugs out 
of the dark room,” said the judge. “ However, 
we can soon find out which of them did so, for 
here comes my son.” 

“ Lionel,” he added as the boy ran into the 
203 


204 


RONALD’S MISSION 


room, “ your little sister has nearly died of 
drinking some of this developer which was on 
the table. Did you place it there ? ” 

“ No, papa,” said Lionel, blushing furiously. 
“ I don’t know anything about it.” 

“ I told you so ! ” exclaimed nurse. “ I knew 
it was that Ronald had been up to his tricks 
again.” 

“ How dare you say it was Ronald ? ” ex- 
claimed Lionel, turning fiercely upon her. 
“ Y ou’re always lying about him but I’ll tell the 
truth this time. It was I who left it there, papa,” 
he added in a frightened voice. “ I was mak- 
ing it when I heard the auto drive up and I ran 
in here to look out from the veranda and put 
the bowl on the table and forgot it.” 

“A careless act and very disobedient, but 
natural enough,” said his father gently, “and 
you’ve made up for it by telling the truth this 
time so we will forgive you, specially as I feel 
sure you are punished enough by seeing your 
little sister so sick in consequence. What do 
you mean though by saying you would tell the 
truth this time ? ” 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


205 


“ Oh, father, Til say it all now. It was I who 
spoiled Ronaldos prayer-book and it was I who 
paid that boy Sam to do something so that 
Ronald might not win the pony race. I broke 
the vase too and just as I was running out of 
the drawing-room I met nurse and she said, 
‘ Never mind ; I’ll throw the blame on Ronald,’ 
and I was glad because I was jealous of Ronald 
and I hated him till he saved my life.” 

‘‘Saved your life? Where?” exclaimed his 
parents. 

Then Lionel hurriedly told all the story of his 
adventure with the burglars and of Ronald’s 
having saved him. 

“And do you mean to tell me that after he’d 
risked his life and saved you from being mur- 
dered by those ruffians, you willingly let him re- 
main under my displeasure, bearing the blame 
of your fault ! ” exclaimed his mother. 

“Yes,” said Lionel, hanging his head in 
shame. “ Ronald hoped I’d tell you the truth ; 
he did so long for you to love him, but I 
daren’t tell — so he was helping me to pray for 
courage.” 


206 RONALD’S MISSION 

“ Oh, that was it ? I heard he was trying to 
make a Catholic of you.” 

“ Oh, no, mama ! Ronald said he would not 
teach me a Catholic prayer, because you might 
not like it, so we said the ‘ Our Father ’ to- 
gether, because everybody says that.” 

“ Oh, how I misjudged him,” said Mrs. Man- 
ningham sorrowfully. “ God grant I may be 
able to make up to him for all my unkindness.” 

Just then one of the coachmen came in look- 
ing very pale and shocked, and holding a child’s 
cap all dripping with water. 

“ Please, sir,” he said, “ we can’t find Master 
Ronald, but we’ve found his cap floating on the 
river a little above the mill-wheel, sir, and oh, 
he was such a dear, pleasant spoken little chap,” 
he added with a sob in his voice. 

“ Ronald drowned ! Oh, don’t say he is 
drowned 1 Then it was I who sent him to his 
death,” cried Mrs. Manningham wringing her 
hands. “ Oh, God forgive me ! I can never 
forgive myself ! ” 

“ He isn’t dead ! You don’t mean Ronald’s 
dead I ” cried Lionel wildly. “ Oh, father, then 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


207 


I’ll never be able to tell him how sorry I am for 
having been such a coward, and he’ll never 
know I told you all the truth.” 

“ God grant we may find him yet,” said the 
judge whose face looked old and drawn with 
anxiety. “ The wind may have blown his cap 
off as he was crossing the bridge. I’ll go and 
look for him myself.” 

“ If we prayed ! ” cried Lionel. “ Ronald al- 
ways prayed when he was in trouble and 
promised things to our Lord. Mightn’t I 
promise I’d become a Catholic if he was saved ? 
I’d love to be a Catholic like Ronald,” he 
added pleadingly. 

“ You must ask your mother’s consent for 
that,” answered the judge bitterly. “ I gave up 
all rights to your soul and mine nine years 
ago.” < 

“ I give them back to you,” cried his wife im- 
pulsively. “ I free you from your word. Prom- 
ise anything you like ; promise also that you’ll 
return to your Church yourself, for you’ve never 
been happy since you left it.” 

“ God bless you, Lucile,” said Mr. Manning- 


2o8 


RONALD'S MISSION 


ham, grasping her hand tenderly. Then we 

both solemnly promise, Lionel and I Oh, 

may God grant our prayers ! Fll go at once 
to search for the poor child and — and Fll 
have the river dragged," he added brokenly. 

‘‘ Well," exclaimed nurse passionately, “ I 
see this is no longer any place for me 1 Thank 
the Lord I respect myself too much to live in 
a house with a pack of idolatrous papists," 
and receiving no reply she flounced out of the 
room. 

Just as he was rushing out of the house, the 
judge met the head keeper hurrying to tell 
him that he had found Ronald in the river and 
had carried him to his own cottage where his 
wife was doing her best to restore him, while 
his boy had gone off on his wheel to fetch the 
doctor. ‘‘ I heard a child scream and the little 
dog. Nettle, give an awful howl and I ran for 
my life, sir, for Fve always been afeard of one 
of the children falling from that there bridge ; 
and there was poor Ronald in the water and the 
good dog struggling to drag him out. She 
couldn't — she's too small — but she saved him 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


209 


from being carried to the mill-wheel. He must 
have struck on one of the rocks as he fell, sir, 
for he has a gash in his head, but I don't think 
he's dead, sir 1 " 

“ Quick, doctor, quick ! Come with me," 
cried Mr. Manningham, rushing back to the 
sick room. “ Ronald is found but is dying per- 
haps. Let us hurry." 

“ Oh, how I wish I could go too ! Yet I can- 
not leave Teresa," cried Mrs. Manningham in 
despair as she fell on her knees by the bedside 
and prayed as she had never prayed before, 
while Lionel knelt sobbing by her side. Soon 
after. Miss Rouniss came in and was terribly 
distressed at hearing of all that had happened 
in her absence. Much as she longed to go to 
her little friend herself, she volunteered to stay 
with Teresa, and Mrs. Manningham accepted 
her sacrifice with great gratitude. 

For the best part of three weary days and 
nights they watched in dread and anxiety beside 
Ronald, and Mrs. Manningham could hardl)?^ be 
persuaded to leave the child a minute, though her 
heart was wrung with sorrow as in the ravings 


210 


RONALD’S MISSION 


of delirium he poured out his sorrows, his yearn- 
ing for his dead mother, his feeling of loneli- 
ness, his grief at being suspected, his struggle 
against temptation to anger and despair. 

“ I never told a lie — I didn’t break the vase,” 
he would moan as he tossed restlessly from 
side to side. “ Oh, dear Jesus, help me to be 
patient — I did try to do my duty, mother. I 
did try to get Aunt Lucile to love me — I prayed 
for uncle’s conversion. I offered up everything 
for that — Aunt Lucile says I broke the vase — 
she said I killed Teresa — Teresa ! My darling ! 
Oh, Jesus and Mary, save Teresa ! She’s sick ! 
Oh, say I didn’t kill her ! I don’t understand, 
I can’t think ! I want Mrs. Woolston ; she loves 
me. Oh, where is Sir Sydney ? I must go to 
him — I can’t find Miss Rouniss ; oh. I’m falling, 
falling ; save me — save Teresa.” 

And so he would moan and rave for hours, 
and the doctor shook his head sadly when they 
entreated him to give them some hope. The 
evening of the third day, however, he had found 
a change for the better and all that night those 
who watched by the sick child noticed he was 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


2II 


quieter and less flushed. As Mrs. Manningham 
sat alone by his side the next morning the boy 
suddenly opened his eyes and murmured faintly, 
“ Mother ! 

“ No, not mother, dearest, but Aunt Lucile 
who means to be a loving mother to you in 
future,’^ she answered, bending down and kiss- 
ing him tenderly. 

A smile of pleasure came over the child^s face. 
‘‘You love me a little?” he asked, pleadingly. 

“ I love you dearly, Ronald.” 

“ I thought you were angry with me — there 

was something Oh, I remember ; it was 

Teresa ; you said I killed Teresa.” 

“ It was all a cruel mistake, dearest, and you 
must forgive me for having been so unjust. I 
have sorrowed so much about it ever since.” 

“I don’t want you to sorrow,” he said 
tenderly ; then he added anxiously, “ Is Teresa 
better ? ” 

“ Quite well, dear, and it was you who saved 
her ; the doctor said so. I know now how you 
saved Lionel, too, and oh, my Ronald, you’ll 
always be our own boy now, our own dear Ron- 


212 


RONALD’S MISSION 


aid, and we won’t let you feel lonely any more. 
Do you know where uncle and Lionel and Miss 
Rouniss have gone ? ” she added with a smile. 
“ They are all at Mass praying for your re- 
covery and they have promised to become 
fervent Catholics if you are saved. Now are 
you happy, my Ronald ? ” 

Tears of joy came into the boy’s eyes. “ How 
good God is,” he murmured. “ I did so wish 
it, and mother too.” 

“Yes, I know we owe much to your dear 
mother’s prayers. Now you have been very 
sick, dear, and you mustn’t talk any more or 
the doctor will scold me. Try to go to sleep 
again while auntie sits here and holds your 
hand.” 

And with a happy sigh the weary eyelids 
closed and the child fell into a refreshing and 
life-giving sleep. 

Several weeks had passed since God had 
thus granted their heartfelt prayers and both 
Ronald and Teresa had quite recovered and 
loved each other more dearly than ever, while 
Lionel was now devoted to his cousin. Ronald 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


213 


did not know how to be thankful enough to the 
Sacred Heart for thus having granted him the 
love of all around him and he was still more 
grateful for his uncle’s return to his duties and 
for the conversion of Lionel and Miss Rouniss. 

“I am so happy,” he exclaimed one day, 
“ that I feel as if I ought to be thanking God 
and our Lady every minute of the day.” 

Still he was not fully satisfied and now 
stormed heaven for the conversion of his Aunt 
Lucile. She showed no signs of thinking of 
changing her faith, however, though she always 
accompanied her boy and Miss Rouniss to their 
instructions. Two days before they were to be 
baptized she said, suddenly turning to her hus- 
band : 

“ I always said that I didn’t believe in mixed 
marriages and would never live with people of 
a different faith to my own, and I don’t see why 
I should be expected to change my mind on 
that point.’’ 

“ But, Lucile,” exclaimed her husband in dis- 
may, “ you gave your consent to Lionel’s be- 
coming a Catholic ! ” 


214 


RONALD’S MISSION 


“ Oh, well ! I was overwrought and excited 
at the time,” said Mrs. Manningham, with diffi- 
culty repressing a smile. “ Still I contend that 
children ought not to be of another faith than 
their mother — so ” 

“ So what ! ’’ gasped the judge, looking at her 
in alarm. 

“ Really, dear, for a clever man I think you’re 
very slow of comprehension. Don’t you see 
that there is but one way out of the difficulty ? 
Why, you dear, dense old thing,” she added 
with a laugh, “the only way is for Teresa and 
myself to join the Church also.” 

“You mean it, auntie? Really! Oh, I am 
so happy, so happy I ” cried Ronald, throwing 
his arms round his aunt’s neck. 

“Yes, really and truly,” she added earnestly. 
“I have been following all Father Malden’s 
instructions, and have thought of this for a 
long time, but I determined not to say a word 
of the possibility of my making a change till I 
was sure I could do so in all good faith. 

Now I fully believe in the Holy Catholic Church, 
and could be baptized to-morrow with Lionel, 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


215 


only that I have thought of another date on 
which I would prefer to have the happiness of 
entering the Church.” 

“When is that, auntie, dear?” 

“ This day two weeks, dear. It will, as you 
know, be the anniversary of your dear mother’s 
death. I feel it is greatly to her and to her 
prayers, as well as to those of the boy she so 
nobly trained, that we owe the gift of faith, and 
I wish to offer my little girl’s conversion and my 
own as a thank-offering for these favors re- 
ceived through her.” 

“ Oh, Ronald,” said his uncle, grasping the 
boy’s hand, “ I know you had a hard time with 
us at first, but see what a great reward God has 
given you for your patience and courage. Was 
it not worth going through all that sorrow and 
humiliation for this, my boy ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, uncle. But I don’t think I de- 
served any reward ; it’s only that God is so 
good, and as auntie says He listened to dear 
mother’s prayers. I never thought I could 
have been so happy as all this, though,” he 
added, his whole face aglow with delight and 


2I6 


RONALD’S MISSION 


gratitude. “ Won’t Sir Sydney be glad when I 
write and tell him about it ? ” 

How can I describe all the joys of the next 
few weeks ? Miss Rouniss’s and Lionel’s bap- 
tism, then that of Mrs. Manningham and little 
Teresa, and the First Holy Communion of both 
Lionel and his mother and his governess. As 
Ronald went up to the altar rails with them all, 
he remembered that last Communion with his 
dear mother, and felt that her love had been 
helping and shielding him from above, and in 
spite of his present joy his tears fell fast as he 
thought of her. 

The boy had kept up a very constant corre- 
spondence with Sir Sydney Grantham, whose 
sympathy, encouragement and good advice had 
been of great help to him during his time of 
trouble. Now the old man rejoiced greatly at 
the wonderful mercies which God had granted 
in answer to their prayers, and while heartily 
congratulating the whole Manningham family, 
he was also happy in the hope that now his 
mission was fulfilled Ronald would be willing to 
come and be his adopted son. In order to 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


217 


pave the way for this, he wrote to say that a 
friend of his would be traveling from New York 
to La Valirie in a few weeks, and that he 
would be delighted if Ronald could be allowed 
to come under this gentleman’s escort and 
spend a few weeks with him, adding that he 
had many important things he wanted to talk 
over with the boy. 

The Manninghams had consented rather 
reluctantly. They now dreaded the thought of 
having to part with their nephew ; still they did 
not like to disappoint Sir Sydney. A few days 
before Ronald was to start, Mr. Manningham 
came into the sitting-room looking pale and 
shocked, and laying his hand on Roland’s 
shoulder said gravely : 

“ I have sad news for you, my poor boy, and 
you must ask God to help you bear a great sor- 
row and disappointment. Your kind friend. Sir 
Sydney, has just died so suddenly that he had 
only time to receive the last Sacraments with 
great fervor and send a loving message to you.” 

Ronald was greatly distressed and specially 
grieved to think that he had not been able to 


2I8 


RONALD’S MISSION 


see his kind friend once more. His uncle and 
aunt did their best to comfort him and then Mr. 
Manningham added : 

“And, Ronald, I have more news for you. 
What do you think Sir Sydney has left you ? ” 

“ His beautiful, black horse that he was so 
fond of,” exclaimed Ronald. “ He always 
promised me he would.” 

“ Yes, that and far more, for he has left you 
heir to his entire fortune. You will now be far 
more wealthy than all the rest of us put to- 
gether, Ronald.” 

The boy had turned quite pale. 

“ Oh, I’m sorry ! ” he exclaimed. 

“ Sorry 1 ” cried Lionel. “ Why, I should 
think you’d be so glad I ” 

“ It’s a dreadful responsibility to be rich, isn’t 
it ? ” said Ronald, looking anxiously up into his 
uncle’s face. “ Our Lord said it was so difficult 
for a rich man to enter into heaven.” 

“ Oh, that is a rich man who makes a selfish 
use of his money, but I’m sure you won’t do 
that, Ronald. Think of all the good you’ll be 
able to do when you grow up.” 


GRANTED PRAYERS 


219 


“ I’ll try ; but oh, I wish Sir Sydney hadn’t 
died or that we had had the money years ago 
so that dear mother needn’t have worked so 
hard. Perhaps she would be living now.” 

“ Do you think she would have been happier 
than she is now ? ” said his aunt. “ And be- 
sides, Ronald, don’t you remember that if you 
had not come to us we might never have joined 
the Church ? God does all things well, and if 
we have innumerable mercies to thank Him 
for, the greatest of all is that He should have 
sent us our Ronald to lead us to Himself.” 

“ And let me tell you what was Sir Sydney’s 
last message to you, my boy,” said his uncle. 
“ He sent his dear love to you and commended 
you to the keeping of God and His Holy Mother, 
praying that you might always be a good, true 
and faithful Catholic. Then he said that as 
your father had left you a great work to do 
which with God’s help you had successfully ac- 
complished, so he too was leaving you a great 
and noble mission. That was to spend his 
large fortune for the glory of God, the support 
of His Holy Church, the betterment and relief 


220 


RONALD’S MISSION 


of your fellow men, and the service of your 
country. If, with God’s help, you accomplish 
this mission nobly, Ronald, you need have no 
fear of the responsibilities of wealth. It will be 
but another means with which you can show 
your loyal devotion to the Sacred Heart.” 







19 1913 


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